Winter chills bring Spring floods to Siberia

Written by Stephanie Kriner, Staff Writer, RedCross.org
Russian fighter jets are dropping bombs to break apart huge chunks of ice jamming eastern Siberia's rivers and causing them to flood. Meanwhile, helicopters are rescuing hundreds of villagers trapped on their rooftops by the rising waters. The scene is a familiar one in Siberia at this time of year. However, following the frigid region's coldest winter on record, this year's springtime floods are especially harsh.

Every spring, as Siberia gradually begins to warm up from months of subzero temperatures, frozen rivers thaw. At the same time, snow that blankets the ground throughout most of the year begins to melt, feeding the region's rivers. The result of these two events is annual flooding.

But this winter temperatures hit record lows, plunging to -50 degrees Celsius (-58 degrees Fahrenheit) in a cold spell that lingered for weeks. Some rivers froze solid, and are now taking longer to thaw. As a result, blocks of ice are clogging the natural flow of water as snowmelt and seasonal rains pour into the rivers. This year, the snowfall was particularly severe, exacerbating the current problem. With nowhere to flow, the rivers are rising over their banks and inundating villages.

Since May 13, when the disaster began, the floods have left almost 5,000 homes underwater in 32 towns and villages from the Volga River in European Russia to the Far East. Officials estimate that more than 80,000 people are affected.

The worst hit area is Irkutsk Oblast, where nearly 2,000 homes are flooded. Two cities in Irkutsk have been almost completely evacuated - Kirensk and Ust-Kut. Kirensk was completely underwater and Ust-Kut was 80 percent submerged. In all, some 50,000 people have been evacuated to government-run shelters.

To prevent further evacuations, the Russian military is bombing and exploding the ice barricades with dynamite. On Thursday (May 17), officials prevented the city of Yakutsk from being inundated when they finally were able to break apart a 60-mile long sheet of ice that was forcing the Lena River over its banks.

But even as the icy dams are blown to bits, the floodwaters keep rising. In Lensk, which has a population of 27,000, floodwaters had receded on Wednesday (May 16) after officials dynamited a large block of ice. However, the floodwaters returned overnight and are expected to continue rising over the next 48 hours. Russian media reported that water levels in the town had risen more than 5 meters (16.5 feet) above the flood stage, and most buildings were submerged. While some 12,000 people have been evacuated by air or boat, another 2,400 remain stranded on rooftops.

Much of the flooding has occurred in rural areas of the sparsely populated region, making delivery of medical supplies, food and drinking water difficult. In one case, a plane delivering relief supplies to Kirensk had to fly 200 miles to another town. From there, officials had to deliver the goods by truck.

The Russian Red Cross says additional relief supplies are needed for flood victims. The organization is holding clothing and food drives, but reported that more food, water purification filters, medicines, blankets and warm clothes and footwear are needed.

With springtime temperatures still plunging below freezing at night, warm clothes and blankets are particularly important, said Ramsey Rayyis, an American Red Cross delegate in Russia. "It is still extremely cold here," Rayyis said. "The Russian Red Cross is trying to get to the shelters to give the people clothes and blankets so they can keep warm."

The American Red Cross has sent 15 tons of food to the affected area and is donating funds to allow the Russian Red Cross to purchase warm clothes, footwear, blankets and bed sheets for flood victims.

As the relief efforts gear up, government officials are expecting worse. More rain is in the forecast and a fresh flood wave is forecast to arrive in eastern Siberia from another tributary of the Lena River.

The last major flooding of the Lena River in Siberia occurred in 1998, forcing more than 40,000 people to evacuate.

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