Death toll from floods in southern Russia rises to 171

July 8, 2012 – RUSSIA – The death toll rose to at least 171 on Monday from severe flooding in the Black Sea region of southern Russia that turned streets into rivers, swept away bridges and inundated thousands of homes as many residents were sleeping. President Vladimir Putin flew to the region and ordered investigators to determine whether more could have been done to prevent the deaths. Torrential rains dropped up to a foot of water in less than 24 hours, which the state meteorological service said was five times the monthly average. The water rushed into the hard-hit town of Krymsk with such speed and volume early Saturday that residents said they suspected that water had been released from a reservoir in the mountains above. Local officials denied this, saying it was not technically possible to open the sluices. Federal investigators, however, acknowledged Sunday that water had been released from the reservoir, but they insisted it did not cause the flooding and the dam had not been breached. Heavy rain also fell in Gelendzhik, a popular seaside vacation spot about 200 kilometers (120 miles) up the coast from Sochi, where preparations are under way for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Novorossiisk, a major Black Sea port, also was affected. The Interior Ministry said Sunday that 150 bodies had been recovered, 139 of them in Krymsk and nine in Gelendzhik. The majority of the dead were elderly who were unable to escape the sudden deluge. Krymsk residents described a wave of water that washed over the hoods of cars and inundated one-story homes. Some sought refuge on roofs and in trees. Putin arrived Saturday evening and viewed the damage from the air. Television footage of Krymsk shot from Putin’s helicopter showed the city of 57,000 people partially submerged in muddy water. The city stadium looked more like a lake. Across the region, more than 5,000 homes were flooded. -Yahoo 

Unprecedented disaster: TV footage showed brown water rushing down the town’s streets, where bodies lay on the curbs, covered with dirty blankets. Trees were torn out, homes destroyed and giant slabs of asphalt thrown on top of cars. “Our house was flooded to the ceiling,” said Polinina. “We could not open the door because of the water, so we broke the window to climb out,” she said, seething with anger at what she said was the lack of help from the authorities. “I put my five-year-old grandson on the roof of our submerged car, and then we somehow climbed up into the attic. I don’t know how we managed to survive.” The floods left her house full of silt and debris, but did not knock it down, so she was turned away from the local emergency shelter with only two loaves of bread and a bottle of water, she said. There had been no emergency warning about the flood, she said. Flash floods frequently batter towns along the Black Sea coast during seasonal rains in the Caucasus Mountains, but officials say the current disaster is unprecedented. -Yahoo

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