Worst Flooding in Recorded History Forces Thousands to Evacuate Homes in Russia and Kazakhstan
The Mayor of Russia’s flood-hit city of Orenburg has described the situation as ‘difficult and tense.’
This week, several rivers in southern Russia and northern Kazakhstan overflowed, causing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate their homes in what is being called the worst spring flooding in decades in the region.
More than 13,000 homes in south-central Russia have been affected by the floods, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
“The floodwaters came very quickly at night,” said Taisiya, a 71-year-old resident of Orenburg, located 750 miles east of Moscow. “By the time I was ready, I couldn’t get out,” she told Reuters on April 11.
These spring floods are an annual occurrence in south-central Russia due to melting snow, causing water levels to rise in the many river systems of the region, but residents of Orenburg are saying that this year’s floods are the worst they have seen.
Local officials in Russia have said that this flooding event is the worst on record.
“Water levels are still rising in flood zones, and a large volume of water is moving towards other regions,” said a spokesman for the Kremlin on April 10.
At least 7,700 residents in Orenburg, with a population of just over half a million, have had to leave their homes.
According to the regional government of Orenburg, water levels are not expected to return to normal until at least April 25.
‘Difficult and Tense’ Situation
The melting ice from central Russia’s Ural mountain range has caused water levels to rise drastically in several rivers in the region in recent days.
As a result, rising waters have breached riverbanks, forcing residents in multiple cities to evacuate with only what they could carry.
“Around 2,000 local homes have been flooded,” said Orenburg Mayor Sergey Salmin on the morning of April 11. He described the situation in the city as “difficult and tense.”
The Ural Mountains run north to south from the Arctic Ocean to northern Kazakhstan, forming part of the geographical boundary between Europe and Asia.
Local authorities have reported that floodwaters have already submerged entire districts of Orenburg, situated on the Ural River’s bank.
The Ural River, which is Europe’s third-longest river at roughly 1,500 miles, flows through both Russia and Kazakhstan before emptying into the Caspian Sea.
On April 10, the water level in the Ural River rose to over 33 feet, more than two feet above its bursting point, according to Russia’s civil defense and emergencies ministry.
It was reported by TASS that two military transport planes delivered 90 tons of aid to the flood-hit city of Orsk on April 11.
