The floods in the Russian regions on the border with Kazakhstan are considered the worst since records began. Because the water is rising rapidly, the authorities in Orenburg ordered mass evacuations.
The flood situation is getting worse in Orenburg, Russia: Due to ever-rising water, mass evacuations are underway in several parts of the city and suburbs. “Sirens are wailing in the city. This is not a drill. Mass evacuations are taking place,” wrote Orenburg’s mayor, Sergei Salmin, on Telegram. In the past ten hours the water level has risen by 40 centimeters to 11.49 meters. “These are dangerous numbers,” Salmin continued.
The mayor listed the districts, streets and suburbs from which people should escape to safety. “Take important documents and essential medicines with you and leave your homes immediately. The situation is critical, don’t waste any time,” urged Salmin.
A dam is in danger of breaking near the town of Gasodobytschikov in the southwest of the city, which is why people here were also called upon to evacuate their houses.
Almost 12,000 houses under water
Orenburg is located about 1,200 kilometers southeast of Moscow in the oblast of the same name. Large parts of the city, which has a population of 550,000, are already flooded. Thousands of people were evacuated over the past weekend after the dam could no longer withstand rising water levels. Around 12,000 houses are under water in the region. According to the region’s governor, Denis Pasler, 16 medical facilities are also flooded.
Authorities expect that the peak of the flood could be reached during Friday or Saturday and that the water will slowly recede in the coming days. Until then, they warned of possible power outages in some districts because the rising water also endangers the energy infrastructure.
As Russian media report, donations are being collected in the regions for those affected. Almost 200,000 people have also submitted applications to the authorities for compensation. At the same time, according to reports, there is also increasing criticism of the crisis management of those responsible.
Water is also rising in Kurgan and Tyumen
In addition to the Orenburg region, the Kurgan and Tyumen regions are also affected by the floods. A state of emergency was declared in the regions. In Kurgan, the village of Kaminskoye on the Tobol River had to be evacuated due to rapidly rising water. The governor of Kurgan, Vadim Shumkov, said on Telegram that the water level had risen by 1.4 meters.
The Tobol, on which Kaminskoye is located, also flows through the city of the same name, Kurgan, where around 300,000 people live. There could also be flooding there in the coming days, said Shumkov. “We can only hope that the flood plain expands widely and the ground absorbs as much water as possible along its path.” A dam is being strengthened in Kurgan.
The floods are considered the worst since records began. The total damage caused by the floods in the region is estimated at over 40 billion rubles – the equivalent of around 400 million euros.
Floods also in Kazakhstan
The affected Russian areas all border on Kazakhstan, where there was also severe flooding. According to the Kazakhstan Ministry of Emergency Situations, almost 100,000 people were brought to safety from the floods. The state of emergency continues to apply in eight of Kazakhstan’s 17 provinces.