Almost 125,000 people have been evacuated from areas hit by massive floods in parts of Russia and Kazakhstan where water levels continue to rise in several regions.
Following massive snowfalls in winter, unusually warm weather triggered the sudden melting of snow that in turn lead to the rapid swelling of rivers such at the Ural and the Tobol, in what specialists say may be the effect of global climate change.
In northern Kazakhstan, where more than 111,000 people have been evacuated from flood-threatened areas since the start of this month, some 4,500 people were evacuated on April 14 alone from Petropavl, a city of some 20,000 people, near the Ishim River.
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Residents Scramble To Evacuate As Floodwaters Engulf Kazakh City
The village of Bolshaya Malyshka, some 30 kilometers north of Petropavl, was also hit hard, with rescuers evacuating almost 900 residents early on April 15, according to the Emergency Situations Ministry of Kazakhstan.
A resident of the village of Podgora, near Petropavl, told RFE/RL that he had "never seen such a flood before." Residents were concerned by the lack of drinking water, despite reassurance by Mayor Serik Mukhamediev that the water "should come soon."
In neighboring southern Russia, nearly 13,000 people have been evacuated from areas threatened by flooding in Russia's southern region of Kurgan as water levels continued to rise, with the Tobol River near the capital city of Kurgan reaching 6.73 meters, the regional government reported early on April 15.
A state of emergency was declared on April 8 in Kurgan, a city of some 300,000. The ministry said that 62 settlements with some 19,000 people across the region are at risk of flooding.
Kazakhstan Floods Displace More Than 110,000 People From Their Homes
Water continued to rise in the region's Ketovsky district, it said. The Emergency Situations Ministry reported that in the Kurgan region, 880 residential buildings had already been flooded.
The first to be affected by the massive floods was the city of Orsk, followed by Orenburg, both on the Ural, and now floods have reached the Kemerovo and Tomsk regions in western Siberia.
In the Kemerovo region, the Mrassu River overflowed its banks.
Residents of villages told Current Time that their household belongings and animals had been washed away and nobody has come to their aid, despite the ministry reporting that the flood situation in the region is under control.
In the Tomsk region, 143 houses and 93 household plots were flooded, said the regional head Vyacheslav Chernous.
A total of 84 people, including eight children, were evacuated, Chernous said on Telegram.
The water level in the Tom River near the center of Tomsk city reached 7.64 m -- 14 centimeters above dangerous levels.
The water level in the Ob River in the Tomsk region also exceeded dangerous levels, and authorities in the Tyumen region are thinking about ordering a mandatory evacuation.
In the Ivolginsky district of Buryatia, 11 houses were flooded, said Governor Alexey Tsydenov. Authorities evacuated 22 people, including six children, from the flooded area.
Tsydenov said the flood was caused by an ice blockage on the Selenga River.
"Today, according to the plan, the blockage will be blown up by sappers from the Eastern Military District and the Emergency Situations Ministry," Tsydenov wrote.
The authorities will allocate money for rent for three months to residents of the Orenburg region affected by floods, the press service of the regional government reported on April 15, saying in a statement that the allocation would include “10,000 rubles ($107) for a citizen living alone and 20,000 rubles for a family of two or more people."
Those who live in an apartment on the second floor of an apartment building or higher will be provided with payment for only one month, while citizens who live outside the emergency zone will not receive any compensation, the statement said.