As floodwaters continued to rise, Russian emergency services announced on Saturday that they had evacuated thousands of residents from the southern areas that border Kazakhstan.
This month, several major rivers that go through Kazakhstan and Russia have overflowed due to a combination of severe precipitation and rapidly rising temperatures that have melted snow and ice.
The Ural River burst its banks in the city of Orenburg, one of the most severely damaged regions in Russia, drowning streets and residential areas as the water levels rose on Saturday.
The river level rose to about 12 meters (39 feet) on Saturday afternoon, at than 2.5 meters above the critical limit.
In a press release issued on Sunday night, regional governor Denis Pasler stated that “the situation remains complex as of today.” The flood is at its highest point in Orenburg.”
The Ural River passes through Orenburg’s downtown.
An AFP journalist observed floodwater engulfing the promenade along the embankment and circling around residential buildings and high-rise apartment complexes situated near the river.
The emergency situations ministry reports that over 11,000 dwellings have flooded and over 13,000 people have been evacuated from Orenburg and the neighboring area.
A ministry official assisting in the evacuation, Eldar Rakhmetov, told AFP that more districts of Orenburg are being evacuated and that “there has been an increase in the number of homes flooded since this morning.”
Some regions were left without power, and locals were attempting to rescue dogs and valuables from flooded houses using rubber dinghies.
A police truck removed Valery, 64, a local manufacturing worker, from the area on Saturday.
“The most important thing is that (my house) does not get looted. That is what I am worried about. Other than that, it is fine! We will survive,” he said.
