Flood crisis escalates in Orenburg, thousands of homes at risk

- The flood situation in the Orenburg region is worsening, and within the next 24 hours, over 3,500 residential buildings may be flooded, warned the governor of the region, Denis Pasler, during a video conference with Putin.

The head of the region said the forecast for the coming day predicts a further increase in water levels in the Ural River in the Orenburg area and downstream, which may lead to the flooding of 3,580 residential buildings and 3,950 plots.

According to Pasler, the magnitude of damages caused by the flood in the region already exceeds 40 billion rubles (£4.6 million). He warned, however, that this number is not final. “It's obvious that this is a very preliminary stage; the water has not yet receded, and we have not yet started full analyses,” explained the governor.

He added that the flood in the region peaked on Thursday. Currently, the most difficult situation is in Orenburg. Here, the water level in the Ural River reached "an all-time high in the entire history of observation: 10.9 meters."

In Orsk, where a dam broke earlier due to flooding, the water level continues to fall. “Over the last 24 hours, it has dropped by another 14 cm,” explained Pasler. However, about 6,000 residential buildings remain in the flood zone, and over a thousand people are staying in temporary accommodation centers.

Roscosmos released a photo of the flood seen from the International Space Station.

This year's spring flood in the region has become the most serious in the history of observation. According to local authorities, by the morning of April 11th, 11,900 residential buildings and 14,900 plots in dozens of localities had been flooded. A federal state of emergency has been declared in the region. 7,800 people, including 2,100 children, have been evacuated.

The disaster also affected the Kurgan region, where the flood risk persists. Governor Vadim Shumkov informed Putin that urgent work is underway to strengthen a 30 km long dam in the region's capital to raise it to 11 meters, and protective structures have been activated in five other municipalities.

Previously, Shumkov urged all residents on the right bank of Kurgan to evacuate. So far, over 6,200 people have been evacuated.