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4 July 2002 by Galya Obukh in Moscow In support of the Russian Red Cross operation to bring essential relief items to 3,000 people left homeless by the devastating floods that hit the northern Caucasus and southern Russia in late June, the International Federation has released 50,000 Swiss francs from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund. The funds will be used to deliver bed linen, blankets and basic hygiene articles (soap, shampoo, toothpaste, washing powder) to flood victims in one of the hardest-hit regions, Krasnodar, where nearly 100,000 people were affected by the flooding. The disaster left at least 77 people dead, and 200,000 homeless. The water destroyed more than 5,000 houses and damaged more than 84,000 in nine regions- Stavropol, Adygeya, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachaevo-Cherkessia, Krasnodar, Ingushetia, North Osetia, Dagestan and Chechnya. The 28th of June was declared an official day of mourning in Stavropol, where 50 local residents and two rescuers drowned. Thousands of kilometres of roads were destroyed, as well as railway and electricity lines. Looking back on his four years of experience in bringing assistance to the victims of floods in Yakutia, Alexander Yakovlev, the Federation's Relief and Logistics Officer in Moscow commented: "I can say this flooding is the most disastrous one in Russia in my memory. Meteorologists say that such floods happen once in 70 to100 years." According to the Ministry for Emergency Situations (Emercom), more than 300,000 people were affected by the disaster. Severe damage to infrastructure has hampered relief operations, and continuing bad weather has further complicated matters. More than 87,000 people were already evacuated by boats and helicopters. Power lines are down and 154 settlements are left without electricity. The total damage is estimated at more than 500 million dollars. The ICRC has actively participated in bringing relief to flood victims, in collaboration with the Russian Red Cross. By now, it has dispatched more than 274 tonnes of assistance to more than 28,000 people in flood-affected areas of the North Caucasus. Regional Russian Red Cross (RRC) committees continue to conduct evaluations of damages and needs together with the ICRC and local departments of Emercom and the Ministry of Health. "This flooding is a calamity not only for this region, but for Russia in general," said Victor Laiko, Executive Director of the Russian Red Cross. "We have literally emptied all our emergency stocks as well as mobilised staff and volunteers to help the victims." The Dagestan Red Cross Rescue Team is assisting in rescue operations and the Krasnodar and Karachaevo-Cherkessia committees have provided flood victims with food parcels, hygiene articles, flour, blankets, kitchen sets, jerry cans, plastic sheeting and clothes from their emergency supplies. Volunteers from the Krasnodar Red Cross have also cared for evacuated children and provided them with hot meals, hygiene articles and clean clothes in the hours following their rescue. They are now taking care of large families and of lone elderly people, who, according to official reports, were those hardest hit by the disaster. The average age of people who died in the floods is estimated at 60-70 years old. The Russian Red Cross headquarters has sent a relief shipment of 300 sets of bed linen, 300 blankets, 300 pairs of boots, 600 sets of hygiene articles and 300 cup and plate sets from its emergency stock to their Northern Caucasus office for distribution in the affected regions. The Russian Red Cross has called on the national and foreign community to assist flood victims. "The number of dead is high, but I am thinking about those who survived," said Mr. Laiko. "It is our task to provide them with enough help." The RRC has opened a special account to collect donations. To compound the disaster, the flooding also brought fatal infections. According to the Stavropol State Institute of Plague Prevention, in the Northern Caucasus, from the Black Sea to the Caspian, six sources of infection of the plague have been detected and more than 2,000 ones of anthrax. Flash waters washed out burial grounds of animals that died of this disease, as well as subsoil sources which have been underground for over 30 years. "This flooding can be considered a national disaster. The affected regions used to be Russia's granary, and now, the water has washed away not only the crops, but the layers of fertile soil as well. There will be no harvest. The damage is huge and continues to grow." added Victor Laiko. While heavy rains continue, forecasts predict the level of water in Terek and Kuban rivers will rise again. The floods in southern Russia are a national disaster. |
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