INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
fully or partially flooded and thousands evacuated in an unprecedented emergency.Footage from the cities of Orsk and Orenburg showed entire
neighborhoods submerged underwater, with volunteers and emergency workers on inflatable dinghies rescuing people and animals trapped in
their homes.Experts say the floods, which have caught the authorities off-guard and left many people to fend for themselves, are just the
rebuild and keep rebuilding
regional capital, the river embankment, several neighborhoods and a few settlements outside the city have been submerged since the end of
federal forces to get involved in efforts to combat the flooding.According to a document obtained by The Moscow Times' Russian service, the
Emergency Situations Ministry had known about the impending severe flooding in the Orenburg region a month prior but failed to take
preventive steps to mitigate the damage.MTMultiple failuresOn the streets of Orsk, sirens can be heard wailing and fire trucks are on
constant patrol.As evacuation continues day and night, assisted by military and volunteers who arrived at the scene, residents from flooded
a second dam failure triggered a fresh round of evacuations in Nikel, another Orsk district
It remains unclear if the dam collapsed or if the river simply overflowed.The dam was breached a third time on Monday near the Lesotorgovy
neighborhood, which was evacuated in advance.A woman being evacuated from the Orenburg region settlement of Stroitel.t.me/admorskEmergency
Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov visited Orsk after a federal-level emergency was announced
In a statement aired on national television, he claimed that the authorities had announced the evacuation of Orsk several days before the
dam breach and accused residents of ignoring this message.This statement angered locals, who said they were not notified of the evacuation
in advance.Two days before the dam burst, Orsk Mayor Vasily Kozupitsa assured residents in a since-deleted VKontakte post that he had
inspected the dam and that there was no cause for concern
The Moscow Times took a screenshot of the post.Orsk Mayor Vasily Kozupitsa's since-deleted VKontakte post.On Saturday, Orenburg region
Governor Denis Pasler announced a one-time payment of 20,000 rubles ($215) to each individual and a payment of up to 100,000 rubles ($1,077)
responsible for this situation
Investigative Committee has opened a criminal probe into construction safety violations and negligence that may have caused the dam to
fail.There is still no official explanation for what caused the dam to break
the dam may have been to blame and ruled out any design or engineering errors.'Waist-deep'The regional capital of Orenburg, a city of about
area, told The Moscow Times.By then, the authorities had closed the roads to his neighborhood and were not letting anyone into the flood
struck a house belonging to Martin Gorton, a British citizen living in a cottage community in Orenburg
He described on his YouTube channel how he used a boat to retrieve belongings from his home.Orsk Mayor Vasily Kozupitsa (center) meets with
residents.t.me/vnkozupitsaFor days, emergency services, local administrations, concerned citizens and volunteers have been assisting in
another resident, told The Moscow Times
are floating in the water
down in a critical situation
He also urged the residents not to ignore the evacuation requests.On Wednesday, Orenburg authorities called on residents in affected areas
areas in the Orenburg region, with 304 houses flooded and 127 residents evacuated in the town of Buzuluk.In the Buzuluk district, the water
has also reached the [pumping] station
This is likely the highest water level since its construction in 1905
several streets were evacuated starting Monday after water overflowed from a local dam built in 1957.Meteorologists predict that water
levels in the Orenburg region will not stabilize until late April.While internet users and celebrities raise funds for food, clothing and
hygiene products for the flood victims, experts caution that the disaster in the Orenburg region is just a preview of what is to come as
global climate change fueling more frequent and destructive extreme weather events including floods, a Russian climate expert told The
very difficult to detach from the dramatic events unfolding in the Orenburg region, but one way or another ..
sounding the alarm, but they are sounding it inside their own bubble
a new climate policy that incorporates entirely new approaches to infrastructure and population protection issues
