Water continues to flood more land in Russia's Far East

The area that was affected by the massive flood areas in the Far East of Russia continues to grow. In the Amur region, 4,383 houses were flooded; in the Jewish Autonomous Region - 244; in the Khabarovsk region - 11. About 30,000 people were affected as a result of the natural disaster.

More than 13,000 people were evacuated in the Amur region from 56 villages. The floods destroyed 307 kilometers of roads, damaged 41 highway bridges and more than 420 thousand hectares with crops.

The water level at hydroelectric power stations has risen seriously too. At Zeysky hydroelectric station, the upstream water level made up 319.19 m (+11 cm a day) vs. the normal water level of 315 meters. The authorities plan to increase the amount of idle discharge of water by 20 percent not to let the Amur River burst through its banks near Blagoveshchensk, Amur, Khabarovsk and down the river.

According to the Ministry for Emergency Situations, the people affected by the floods will be accepted at local military hospitals. ​​Two brigades of railway troops with all necessary equipment will be sent to the region to liquidate the consequences of the disaster. As many as 3,000 military men will be involved in the activities.

A military transport plane with humanitarian aid on board will deliver humanitarian aid to the affected. The aircraft is equipped with a mobile medical hospital with state-of-the-art equipment.