Russia, Kazakhstan – After the “flood of the century”: 100,000 people evacuated

The Urals swelled by half a meter during the night, after the river level there had already reached the critical limit of 9.30 meters on Tuesday evening. In the early afternoon it was more than ten meters.

For the residents, the worst is yet to come
7,700 people were evacuated and hundreds of houses were flooded. However, the worst is yet to come for Orenburg’s approximately 550,000 residents, experts warned. The Urals could continue to rise significantly until Thursday.

Many wait in attics
Sirens and TV specials also urged people to seek safety in other areas. Some decided to stay for the time being and make do in the attics. So far, a total of 10,500 houses have been flooded in Russia, most of them in the Orenburg region.

The situation on the Volga and in Siberia is acute
The situation is also sometimes acute in the area of ​​Europe’s longest river, the Volga. The same applies to Western Siberia, where the highest water levels are expected in three to five days. 4,500 people were evacuated, the local government announced.

It is very common for some of the largest rivers in Russia and Central Europe to expand and overflow their banks in the spring. This year, however, a combination of factors has led to unusually severe flooding.

Meltwater as the cause
According to Russian officials, these are already the worst floods in the region since measurements began. The cause is believed to be meltwater from the Ural Mountains.

According to Russian civil defense experts, the ground was wet before winter and then froze under very heavy snow, which eventually melted very quickly due to rapidly rising spring temperatures. And then there were also heavy rain showers.