Russia declares flood-hit Orenburg region a federal emergency with other regions under threat
State media say Russia’s government has declared the situation in flood-hit areas in the Orenburg region a federal emergency
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s government declared the situation in flood-hit areas in the Orenburg region a federal emergency on Sunday, with preparations for possible flooding underway in three other regions, state media reported.
The floods, caused by rising water levels in the Ural River, forced over 4,000 people, including 885 children, to evacuate in the Orenburg region, the regional government said. State news agency Tass said that a further 2,000 homes were flooded, bringing the total to nearly 6,300 in the region.
The total damage from the flood in the Orenburg region is estimated to amount to around 21 billion rubles ($227 million), the regional government said Sunday.
Russia’s Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov arrived in Orsk — one of the most hard-hit cities — on Sunday to supervise rescue operations.
