The flood situation in Kazakhstan and southern Russia has continued to worsen. More than 90,000 people have now been brought to safety. In both countries the authorities are accused of being poorly armed.
The flood disaster in Russia and Kazakhstan is expanding. According to authorities, more than 90,000 people have already been brought to safety in Russia and Kazakhstan. “Since the floods began, 86,000 people have been rescued and evacuated, including 29,000 children,” Kazakhstan’s Emergencies Ministry said.
In the Russian city of Orenburg, the Ural River has exceeded the critical mark and reached a high of 9.31 meters. The floods continued to spread, the authorities said. Several parts of the city were already under water. The city’s mayor, Sergei Salmin, warned that the flooding was expected to peak only on Wednesday and would be “unprecedented.”
“Flood of the century with apocalyptic dimensions”
Orenburg Governor Denis Pasler called on people to flee to safe parts of the city. A state of emergency applies in the Orenburg region. More than 10,000 houses are flooded and more than 6,500 people had to flee to safety and leave their belongings behind. Russian state media speaks of a “flood of the century of apocalyptic proportions.”
The city of Tyumen also expected record water levels on Tuesday. The Tyumen region of the same name and the Kurgan region had already declared a state of emergency. According to the city administration, the airport in the city of Kurgan, which has a population of 300,000, was threatened with flooding.
People shout “Putin help!”
Particularly affected in the Orenburg region is the city of Orsk, where dams were broken. But neighboring regions are also complaining about rising floodwaters. Photos and videos also showed huge flooded areas in the Kurgan region in southwest Siberia. In some cases only the roofs of the houses stuck out of the water. People were brought to safety in lifeboats.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who, according to the Kremlin, is continually informed about the situation, ordered greater deployment of police patrols. This is intended to prevent looting. A video showed people chanting “Putin, help!” in a square. shouted. So far, the Kremlin chief has sent government members to the disaster region, where the water levels had risen quickly due to the massive melting of snow and ice in the Ural Mountains, accompanied by constant rain.
Criticism of authorities in Kazakhstan and Russia
The Kazakh head of state Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had already spoken last week of what was perhaps the “biggest natural disaster of the past 80 years” “in terms of extent and consequences” and accused the local authorities of not having taken sufficient precautions for the flood.
23,000 employees from the ministries of civil protection, interior and defense as well as the secret services are now involved in the rescue operations in Kazakhstan.
Critics in Russia also complain that too little has been done for years to prepare for spring floods. “In Russia there is one catastrophe after another,” said Putin critic Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny, who died in February. As always, those in power are not prepared. “In the winter they are not prepared for frost and snowfall, in the summer they are not prepared for the forest fires, in the spring they are not prepared for the floods,” she said. More than 18,000 inhabited properties are under water. “But Putin’s officials are in no hurry to help people.” They are only concerned with themselves.