The city of Orenburg, Russia, is in a hurry to evacuate its residents in a situation when a flood causes a great damage in certain regions of the country and northern Kazakhstan.
One of the most critical events took place in the neighborhood of the city’s mayor, Sergei Salmin, who sent a message via Telegram to people living in the multiple areas of the city to gather their documents, medications, and other necessary items and to leave their homes as soon as possible. He characterized the circumstances of “extremely dangerous” and stressed the urgency to act and not to waste a moment.
Approximately eight of the area’s streets or regions have been deemed unsafe, affecting the lives of about 2 million people. The flooding crisis begins with the surge of the European third longest river, the Ural, which has crested the shoreline, and has now engulfed multiple towns and cities on the border.
Emergency measures were taken on both sides of the river, Orenburg authorities were coordinating the efforts to help those affected by the flood and temporarily house them. The Ural River’s water level reached 37 feet on Friday, causing the government to prepare for the peak flooding in Orenburg. It is expected that the water level will continue to rise and stabilize later.
According to the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the flood ravaging the country is the most severe in the last 80 years, thus, its magnitude is unbelievable. While, on the other hand, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, is going to be briefed by governors from the regions that have been the most affected by the crisis.
Protests have been held outside the city hall in Orsk Orenburg, the videos of which have been published on social media. Residents are angry and frustrated at city managers, who are yet to take any action to help the population, which has been left destitute. Yulia Navalnaya, a widow of Alexey Navalny, a Russian opposition leader, is against the government for its incompetence. She mentioned this instance of system failure as a habitual thing.
In the wake of the catastrophic floods, communities are mounting joint efforts to guarantee the security and welfare of the victims as cries for immediate support and input from government agencies resound across the affected area.
