VLADIVOSTOK, August 13. /TASS/. Floodwaters continue to rise in Ussuriisk, one of the cities in Russia’s Far Eastern Primorye Region that bore the brunt of Typhoon Khanun, the city administration’s press service told TASS on Sunday.
Ussuriisk, the region’s second largest city, has been de-facto split in two by a swollen river.
"Waters [of the Razdolnaya river] continue to rise, gaining 16 centimeters overnight. <…> Three emergency shelters continue their work," an administration official said. "The only positive news is that water in rural areas has been subsiding."
"The main road leading to rural areas of Borisovka, Krounovka and others has been washed away by water, but it had subsided to the point where we can begin repairs," the source said. "Over the past night, the city has been de-facto split in two parts, and getting from one into the other is very problematic."
The city administration said on its Telegram channel that dozens of electric substations in Ussuriisk had to be shut down for safety reasons, causing power outages in 1,058 houses.
"For safety reasons, 49 electrical substations have been switched off, leaving 1,058 houses without electrical supplies," the administration said. "Power supply will resume when water begins to recede."
The authorities assured residents that tap water remains safe for drinking and cooking. The city’s water purification facilities are working as normal. Overall, the city’s vital systems are working without a hitch, the city administration told TASS.
A summer camp in Ussuriisk, with about 150 children on its territory, was evacuated for fears that it might be flooded.
"We had to evacuate a privately owned summer camp, Asteroid, earlier today, fearing that floodwaters may reach it," the city administration’s press service said. "It is not flooded at this point and the situation on its territory is normal, but it is better to be safe than sorry."
Over 100 children have already been taken home by their parents. Another 37 have been accommodated at a temporary shelter.
Heavy rains lashed Primorye between August 9 and 11, dropping up to 188 millimeters of rainfall and causing many rivers to overflow their banks. Over 600 people had to evacuate to emergency shelters. The cities of Ussuriisk and Spassk-Dalny are the worst-affected areas. The press service of the Ussuriisk city administration told TASS that this year’s flood was the worst in about a decade.