Typhoon Rusa hits Sakhalin

More than 350 houses were flooded after the tropical typhoon Rusa passed over Sakhalin island in the western part of the Sea of Okhotsk, reported the Sakhalin Regional Administration on Wednesday. The Sakhalin Region includes, apart from Sakhalin proper, also the Kurile Islands.

The typhoon hardest hit the southern and south-western regions of the island damaging dozens of kilometres of roads. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the regional centre, was also hit, with 40 dwellings flooded. Fortunately, there were no human losses.

The tropical typhoon Rusa came to the Russian Far East from the Korean Peninsula. Having reached the Russian Far East on Sunday, it hit out the most at Sakhalin and the South Kuriles, pouring a two-month norm of precipitation on the islands. The water level in the rivers of Sakhalin and the Kuriles is rising rapidly.

On Wednesday morning, the typhoon reached the Bering Sea, where it blew itself out. However, according to the weather forecasters, two other typhoons - Sinlaku and Ele - have originated in the southern latitudes of the Pacific Ocean. After gaining in force, they will be moving northwards along the Pacific coastline of Asia.