It's been raining heavily in Irkutsk Oblast all week. The Nizhneudinsky District was the first hit by the flood. 350 children were evacuated from a camp. In a matter of hours, the water level in the Uda and Biryusa rivers reached a critical point. Houses in the villages of Serebrovo and Solyanaya went under water.
"We have a baby, we can't sit on the roof. The baby could fall into the water".
"We don't have electricity here, so we can't cook anything".
An emergency aircraft with an airmobile group of rescuers arrived at the area. But people were hesitant to leave their homes. They hoped that the waters would soon recede. Those who had boats helped their neighbors get to safety. In fact, an ordinary wooden motorboat is the only means of transport here today. People can get to their homes, save personal property. The person who is driving the boat has saved people from the rooftops, even minors.
"Not long ago, I got two children from the center of the village".
The situation got worse in neighboring Nizhneudinsk just the next day. The river flooded the central streets of the town. The federal highway was blocked completely. The airport was flooded as well. There are currently no flights. Neighboring Tofalaria is flooded as well. After torrential rains, the glacier fell down. Alykdzher, where the few, indigenous people of Tofalar live, went completely underwater. An emergency aircraft evacuated children and women from there. But farm livestock is lost.
Water came to the Tulun District. There are the first victims — two people drowned. They tried to get out of the area by boat on their own. The situation was getting worse every day. There were torrential rains, strong wind, the rivers overflowing in five districts. The town of Tulun was at risk of flooding on Friday. Within a few hours, the water level at the local dam exceeded the permissible limits. Houses were flooded. They were torn off the foundation and carried away by the flow.
- What do have you left?
- I've got my sandals and work jacket. I also saved the documents for the house and my passport. The rest is all gone.
- Don't be upset, we'll build another one. Everything is going to be alright.
People were saved around-the-clock on airboats. Here's the place where all of the victims are taken. There's an airboat working. EMERCOM employees take people from the rooftops and bring them here. According to recent data, there are still about 200 people left. They're taken here in large groups.
- What is the water level?
- It's about 40 feet.
- It has risen by more than a foot in the last two hours. Water has risen by more than a foot in the last two hours.
People helped not only each other but left-behind dogs as well. Get to the bus. There's a dry spot between the streets.
"Hold on, hold on".
The chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the region, Sergey Sokol, reported on new victims. An 8-year-old boy and his grandfather died. They fell out of a boat and drowned.
"There are 50 children in that street. I mean there are 50 people, children and adults. People lost so many houses. That's horrible. That's a crushing calamity".
The water level in Tulun has risen by six feet in a day. The town is cut off from every direction, the federal highway is flooded. The people evacuated from their homes were resettled to temporary shelters.
Marina Kireeva, Tulun: "We have temporary shelters, kindergarten and schools have been opened. We can receive all of the people. We've been provided with humanitarian aid and people help us as well. We can help everyone".
The state of emergency has been introduced in the flooded area. The humanitarian aid is being delivered. The population has been provided with drinking water. Trucks with food, warm blankets, and everything the victims may need were sent to the flooded areas According to preliminary data, there are more than four thousand houses under water now.
Alexey Kelevro, Eduard Chuzhy, Victor Strotsky, Vesti Nedeli, Tulun, Irkutsk Oblast.
