Funds Sent To: Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), Russia Round Table (RRT), Department for External Church Relations of Moscow Patriarchate

Amount Sent: 49,984 USD

Date: 16 July 2012

Details of Response

Emergency: Assistance to Flood Victims in Southern Russia

Date of Emergency: From 7 July 2012 onwards

Requesting Member(s): Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), Department for External Church Relations

DETAILS OF THE EMERGENCY:

As a result of flood, southern Russia has once again become an emergency area. According to official data, some 30,000 people have been affected and 171 people were killed in the flash flood caused by torrential rains. Several thousand people have been evacuated from their houses. The elements hit on the night of July 7, striking communities in the Krymsky District of the Krasnodar Region, located between the cities of Novorossiysk and Gelendjik. The flash flood has deluged over 7,000 houses in the three cities of Gelendjik, Krymsk, Novorossiysk, and neighboring villages. Power, gas and water supply systems and car and railroad traffic have been disrupted.

The greatest damage has been done to the Nizhnebakansky community located in the foothills along the Krasnodar-Novorossiysk highway. It is estimated that the sharply raised water in the Bakanka River has washed away over one hundred houses and grounds. Over two hundred houses have been destroyed in the city of Krymsk. The flood has taken the toll of 148 people in that area.

According to the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters (Emercom) data, 3.910 people asked for medical aid, including 400 people suffering from severe and moderate severe traumas. The local authorities and the Emercom have begun to evacuate people, as debris is cleared, the water and sewage systems are repaired and the list of those affected and the damage caused is clarified. At present, the water has almost subsided, though some streets are still flooded. In almost all the damaged houses, people themselves have to scoop out the slush consisting of soil, mud and silt brought by the flood. Sometimes found in this slush are decomposing carcasses of animals, which are also often seen hanging from fences or stuck in them like in a sieve, nailed by the wave of the flood. Disinfection work is carried out in all the affected places. Emercom is bringing large tents and bio toilets to the affected areas.

At present, medics fear of a possible surge of intestinal diseases in the Krymsky District. Governmental and non-governmental organizations are bringing in foodstuffs, drinking water, clothes, tents, medicines and sanitary packs. The local authorities and the government have stated that those who have lost their houses and property will get compensation.