Over 4,000 People Evacuated in Russia's Orenburg Region Due to Flooding
15:02 07.04.2024 (Updated: 10:01 09.04.2024)
© Sputnik . Press service of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations
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UFA, Russia (Sputnik) - Russia's Orenburg Region faced flooding earlier in April due to meltwater, rising water levels in the Ural River and increased water discharges from a local water reservoir. Moreover, on Friday, a dam protecting the city of Orsk from the Ural River burst, forcing mass evacuation. On Saturday, the second dam burst occurred.
Over 4,000 people, including 885 children, have been evacuated from a flood-hit area of Russia's Orenburg Region, the local authorities said on Sunday.
"As many as 4,064 people were evacuated, including 885 children. Forty-seven bridge structures have been closed in 31 regional municipalities. Traffic on federal highways is proceeding without restrictions," the authorities said in a statement.
At the same time, no deaths related to the flooding have been recorded in the city of Orsk worst hit by the disaster, the mayor's office told Sputnik, adding that the four people found dead in the area had passed away due to natural causes or suicide.
Over the past 24 hours, the water levels in the Ural River rose by 28 centimeters, which resulted in the flooding of thousands of residential buildings and house plots in the region's capital city of Orenburg, the mayor's office said.
Moreover, Russian Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov on Sunday described as critical the situation with flooding in Orsk.
"A critical situation has developed in the city of Orsk, where protective structures on the Ural River were destroyed. As a result, 4,518 residential buildings and 4,587 residential plots have been flooded," Kurenkov said at a meeting of the regional government commission.
In Orsk, 11 temporary shelters with more than 8,000 places have been set up to receive evacuees, the minister said, adding that 510 people, including 116 children, are currently in the shelters.
During the meeting, the commission unanimously decided to classify the flood in the Orenburg Region as a federal emergency, Kurenkov said.
Furthermore, Russian President Vladimir Putin had several meetings with Kurenkov regarding the current flooding in the Orenburg Region and possible flooding in the country's Kurgan and Tyumen regions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday.
"Orenburg Region Governor Denis Pasler and Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov today briefed the president on the development of the situation with the flooding around [the city of] Orsk in the Orenburg Region. Kurenkov focused mainly on information about the number of people evacuated and those transferred to temporary shelters," Peskov said.
The Russian leader stressed the need for conducting a timely analysis, forecasting and taking appropriate measures with regard to possible flooding in Russia's Kurgan and Tyumen regions, Peskov added.
"The president is also planning to hold telephone conversations with the leaders of these regions today," the spokesman said.
Flooding in Russia's Orenburg Region Expected to Reach Peak on April 10, Authorities Say
However, the natural disaster is only gaining momentum: the flooding is expected to reach the peak next Wednesday, according to the regional authorities.
"[The Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring] Roshydromet said that the flooding in [the city of] Orenburg will reach dangerous levels as early as April 8, and the peak is expected on April 10. The area of flooding includes Orenburg and the Orenburg Region: [the villages of] Nezhinka, Kuznechnyy, Ovchinniy Gorodok, Sittsovka, Gornyi, Yuzhnyy Ural," the government said.
The situation in the region is expected to stabilize only after April 20, the local government also said, adding that the total damage from the flooding in the region would amount to about 21 billion rubles (about $227 million).
