Devastating Floodwaters Rise Further In Russian Far East

A street sign at a flooded junction in the village of Vladimirovka in eastern Russia

The level of the Amur River near the city of Khabarovsk in Russia's Far East has reached a record high of 736 centimeters as unprecedented floods caused by heavy rains continue.

The regional weather forecast center said on August 27 that the floodwaters would rise into September.

Khabarovsk's mayor said last week that the mass evacuation of residents from some city districts would start once the river level reached 780 centimeters.

The presidential envoy in the Far East, Viktor Ishayev, said on August 27 that 100,000 people had been affected by the floods, which damaged 9,500 homes in Amur, Khabarovsk, Yakutia, and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast.

The Khabarovsk region's acting governor, Vyacheslav Shprot, suggested the floods, which are thought to be Russia's worst in 120 years, could last for a month.

Based on reporting by ITAR-TASS and Interfax