Flood in Russia: Ural Mountains are fighting against flood

Flood in Russia: Ural Mountains are fighting against flood

The flood situation in Russia in the south of the Ural Mountains continues to worsen, especially in the city of Orenburg. The Ural river reached a height of 9.78 meters on Wednesday morning, about half a meter above the critical brand. This resulted in several parts of the city flooded. Experts predict that the water will increase by another 30 to 70 centimeters.

In the Administrative area of ​​Orenburg on the border with Kazakhstan, 12,800 houses and 14,900 garden plots were flooded, which caused more than 7,000 people to be evacuated. The situation forced several villages to switch off substations, causing a power failure. Courts and museums reacted to the threat by stopping their activities and protecting valuable artifacts.

The effects of the flood disaster also extended to neighboring regions such as Kurgan in Southwest Siberia, where huge flooded areas were seen and rescue measures were carried out. The population expressed dissatisfaction with the authorities who were perceived as too slow to provide help. President Vladimir Putin reacted to the situation by using additional police cartridges to prevent looting.

The causes of the flood are in the solid snow and ice melt in the Ural Mountains, accompanied by strong rainfall. Critics complain that preparations for spring floods in Russia have been inadequate for years. Putin critic Julia Nawalnaja criticized the authorities for their lack of preparation and emphasized that such natural disasters in Russia were not uncommon.

The flooding was reinforced by dam breaks at the city of Orsk, which was most severely affected. Despite the difficult situation, a slight weakening of the water level was evident in some regions. Adjacent areas in Kazakhstan were also affected by floods, with around 96,000 evacuated people, according to the Department of Distrophes in Astana.