Kurgan authorities announced evacuation amid a seven-meter rise in water levels
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Kurgan becomes the epicenter of flood problems in Russia. Regional authorities said that a “colossal” volume of water was moving towards the city, calling on residents of the right bank part of the city to evacuate immediately. By evening, the water level in the Tobol River near the regional center exceeded the unfavorable level of 7 m. Roshydromet expects the water to reach a level of 9–10 m, thus breaking the record of 1994, when 200 thousand people were affected by floods in the region . Human. Meanwhile, in Orsk, where the water had receded, the authorities began measures to disinfect the territory and clean the streets.
The situation in Kurgan close to critical. Regional Governor Vadim Shumkov said that a “colossal” volume of water is moving towards Kurgan. In his telegram channel “SilaVpravde”, the official published several space images: having found on one of them the “head of the flood” 10 km from the city, he called for the immediate evacuation of residents of gardening communities and flooded neighborhoods in the right bank part of the city. “There is no need to rely on chance and that in previous years everything worked out. This is not just a flood, this is a real threat!” – Mr. Shumkov warned. The mayor’s office reported that on Sunday morning the water level in the Tobol River did not even reach 5 m, but by Monday morning it had risen to 6.3 m, and by the evening it had exceeded 7 m. The last mark in the Ural Hydrometeorological Center was called “unfavorable”, explaining that the water will continue to rise until April 18 and therefore, presumably, the “dangerous” mark of 8.5 m will be passed. “Flooding of areas located within the floodplain is expected,” the hydrometeorological center reported. FKU Uralupravtodor warned about the risk of flooding on the P-354 Yekaterinburg-Shadrinsk-Kurgan highway. Mr. Shumkov fears that in the floodplain the flood will flood “completely everything around for several kilometers” and evacuation “may be difficult or temporarily impossible.” The governor said that 1.3 billion cubic meters coming from Kazakhstan are being added to Tobol’s “own waters.” “This is twice the volume of discharges in 1994,” he added.
The state of emergency was introduced in the Kurgan region on April 8. For several days in a row, the water rose the highest (up to about 10 m) in the Zverinogolovsky district. By April 15, according to the local Ministry of Emergency Situations, about 300 residential buildings were flooded in five districts, and 7.1 thousand people were evacuated. In several districts it was extended, and in Kurgan a ban was introduced until April 21 on the sale of alcohol (the reason was the news of the death of a drunken resident who fell into the river from a bridge). At the same time, Kurgan authorities expected the water level to rise to record levels. In 1994, when the river level rose over 10 m, several roads, dams and bridges were destroyed, 114 settlements were flooded, and 200 thousand residents suffered material damage. According to forecasts by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, this time 4.3 thousand houses in the region may be flooded, and 18 thousand people may be caught in the flood zone. According to Roshydromet forecasts, the Tobol near Kurgan will rise to 9–10 m. Mr. Shumkov said that employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the administration were sent to the right bank of the city to carry out the evacuation, calling on residents “not to swear, run away or hide.”
The flooding situation continues to remain tense in Orenburg areas. In the area of the village of Ilek, the level in the Urals has risen over 9 m, exceeding the dangerous mark, and the water continues to rise. The head of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, Alexander Kurenkov, went to the region for the third time since the beginning of the flood. The department’s press service said that the minister would visit Orsk, the city most affected by the flood, to check “the implementation of previously announced instructions.” The press service of the regional administration reported that there are currently 27 commissions working in the city to assess flood damage.
The governor of the region, Denis Pasler, said that 313 thousand applications for compensation had been received, and 342 million rubles. has already been paid to the victims.
Mr. Pasler promised that this week repairs of roads, tram tracks and power supply networks will begin in Orsk. Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Volga Federal District of the Russian Federation Igor Komarov said that cleaning and disinfection of streets has begun in the city. According to the regional Ministry of Health, 120 million rubles will be required to sanitize the city. “There is still a lot to be done—the entire city needs to be restored,” said Mr. Komarov. According to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, 3.7 thousand houses remain flooded in Orsk. Throughout the region, 15 thousand residential buildings and 23.6 thousand household plots are under water. In the regional center, where the authorities announced an evacuation on April 12, 5.5 thousand households remain flooded, including 55 apartment buildings.
Meanwhile, it began to flood and Tomsk. According to local authorities, in the area of the city Lagerny Garden, the water level in the Tom River exceeded 8.6 m (with a “dangerous” mark of 8.9 m). According to the local mayor’s office, eight houses were flooded on Zalivnaya Street, and the water got there through storm drains, through which “in a normal situation it should be drained into the river.” A video was distributed on Telegram channels showing several people carefreely walking along an embankment dam, from which large pieces of soil fall off under water pressure, presumably in the area of the Communal Bridge in Tomsk. The head of the regional department of population and territory protection, Sergei Lukin, linked the rise in water levels in the Tom with ice jams on the river, which they tried to blow up over the weekend. Blasting work on the Selenga River was also carried out on April 15 and Buryatia: Sappers from the Eastern Military District and the Ministry of Emergency Situations tried to clear the ice there.
Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov warned that the flood was heading towards Tyumen areas. According to the official, “a lot of work has been done” there, but “the danger of flooding of vast areas in the region” remains. Earlier, the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation stated that the Tyumen region will survive the flood with minimal damage, as it is well prepared. The regional government reported that the water level in the Ishim River will exceed the historical maximum, and explosives are also being used to remove ice from the reservoir.
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