MOSCOW, April 8. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the government to create a special commission for civil defense, emergency and disaster management, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
According to the latest data, more than 10,400 residential houses have been inundated in 39 Russian regions. In the Orenburg Region, which has been hit hardest by the floods, water levels have risen from 8 to 30 centimeters over the day, while in Orsk the water level in the Ural River dropped by 9 centimeters. The flood situation in the Kurgan Region is not any easier. According to the regional Emergencies Ministry's branch, more than 18,000 people are in the zone of possible flooding.
TASS has gathered the key facts about the flood situation in Russian regions.
Situation in the Orenburg Region
- Water levels in the reservoirs of the Orenburg Region increased from 8 to 30 cm over the day. The water level of the Ural River in Orsk, heavily affected by flooding, fell by 9 cm and now stands at 963 cm.
- Over the day, the water has receded from 311 residential houses and more than 1,700 household plots in the Orenburg Region. About 10,100 houses and almost 18,500 plots remain flooded.
- Over 2,000 homestead plots and more than 1,500 households are flooded in Orenburg. During the day, the numbers increased by 231 and 188 respectively, the mayor's office said. Streets in the Kuznechny district have largely lost power.
- As of 9:00 a.m. on April 8, the water level in the Ural River is 872 cm. Water also continues to flow into the Sakmara River, bringing its water level up to 783 cm.
- The Ural River’s water levels will return to normal no earlier than April 25, according to the regional government's press service. Previously, the highest level ever recorded was in 1942 - then it stood at 946 cm.
- Orenburg City Hall reported that almost 790 people had been evacuated, including 35 children, from the flooded area. Emergency rescue operations involved 205 people, 89 units of equipment and 15 watercraft.
- In Novotroitsk, the Orenburg Region, water spilled over a protective dam; work is underway to fill it in. The authorities are evacuating local residents to temporary accommodation centers.
- According to the Emergencies Ministry, the flood wave is shifting towards Orenburg. The water level is currently decreasing near Orsk.
- The authorities of the Orenburg Region are already set to pay out on claims from 276 victims.
Situation in the Kurgan Region
- Over 10,000 houses, homestead plots and country houses may be flooded during this year's floods in the Kurgan Region, according to the latest forecasts from the regional center for hydrometeorology and environmental monitoring.
- More than 18,000 people are in the zone of possible waterlogging, according to the regional Emergencies Ministry's website. Almost 600 people were evacuated in the region.
- The region has been put on high alert; a state of emergency was introduced in the Zverinogolovsky municipal district. According to the authorities, an emergency zone has been established within the boundaries of the settlements of Proryvnoye, Ozernoye, Zverinogolovskoye, Verkhnyaya Alabuga, Bugrovoye, Redut and adjacent territories.
- According to the Kurgan administration's Telegram channel, as of 8:00 a.m. (6:00 a.m. Moscow time) on April 8, the water level in the Tobol River near the city stood at 305 cm (above the "zero post"), having increased by 15 cm during the day.
- There is no risk of flooding at multistory buildings in Kurgan, the regional Emergencies Ministry said. Garden associations and private houses, however, are at risk.
Flood situation in other regions
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has been briefed by the Emergencies Ministry and the governors of the Orenburg, Kurgan and Tyumen regions on how the flood situation is developing and instructed the government to set up a special commission.
- Over 10,400 residential houses are flooded in 39 Russian regions, further flooding of low-lying areas and transportation infrastructure in three regions of the country is predicted, the Russian Emergencies Ministry's press service reported.
- The number of houses flooded by melt water in the Altai Region has increased to 142, the Russian Emergencies Ministry's press service said.
- In the Novosibirsk Region, 49 country houses and 70 homestead plots were flooded in four districts, according to Viktor Orlov, the regional Emergencies Ministry chief. In total, 93 homestead plots, one residential house and 271 country houses were flooded.
- The water level in the Malinovka River rose by 60 centimeters in one day in the Dalnerechensky District of the Primorsky Region, traffic communication with seven settlements was interrupted.
- Floods have left 66 out of 70 buildings submerged in the Chelyabinsk Region, but the situation in the region is stabilizing, the press center of the Emergencies Ministry's Main Directorate for the region reported.
- In Tyumen, the probability of entire districts becoming flooded remains. The Emergencies Ministry will send Mi-26 helicopters to evacuate people and deliver cargo.