Russia and Kazakhstan Under Unprecedented Flooding; Over 100,000 Evacuated

Following the rapid melting of snow in the Ural Mountains and the flooding of major rivers, which has caused the worst flooding in at least 70 years in southwestern Russia, Russia and Kazakhstan have ordered the evacuation of over 100,000 residents from the region. The flooding has submerged dozens of cities and towns in the Ural Mountains, Siberia, and areas of Kazakhstan near the Ural and Tobol rivers. According to local officials, water levels have risen several meters in just a few hours, reaching the highest recorded levels. Reuters, citing Russian state media, reported that the Russian government has declared a state of emergency in the flood-affected areas around the city of Orenburg. The Ural River, the third-largest river in Europe that flows from Russia and Kazakhstan into the Caspian Sea, overflowed a dam on Friday, inundating the city of Orysk in the southern Ural Mountains. Reports indicate that water levels in Orenburg continue to rise. Sirens in Kurgan, a city near the Tobol River, warned residents to evacuate immediately. A state of emergency has also been declared in Tyumen, the main oil-producing region of western Siberia and the largest hydrocarbon basin in the world. The President of Kazakhstan, in an interview with Reuters, announced that over 86,000 people have been evacuated due to the flooding, stating that this flood is likely the worst in the last 80 years. The severely affected areas include Atyrau, Aktobe, Akmolinsk, Kostanay, East Kazakhstan, North Kazakhstan, and regions in Pavlodar, most of which border Russia, with rivers originating from Russia like the Ural and Tobol flowing through them. The Kremlin stated that Putin is being regularly updated on the situation, but he has no immediate plans to visit the flood-affected areas as local officials and rescuers are doing their utmost to deal with the flooding. Drone images from Kurgan, a region with about 800,000 inhabitants, show traditional wooden Russian houses and golden domes of Russian Orthodox churches submerged in a vast expanse of water. Reports from the European Climate Organization and increasing concerns about the speed and intensity of climate change worldwide.