State of emergency declared after severe floods hit Sochi, Russia
Severe floods hit Sochi, the largest resort city in Russia, on July 23, 2022, damaging around 250 homes and at least 60 vehicles. One person died while several dozen were rescued.
Russia’s Emergency Ministry reported that more than 76 mm (2.99 inches) of rainfall fell in just one hour on July 23, rapidly rising water levels of rivers. This is more than half of the city’s total July average.
Heavy rainfall caused the Bzugu River to break its banks and send massive amounts of water through the city, dragging vehicles along streets and flooding homes.
This is the second time such heavy rains hit Sochi since June 24 when at least 2 people died and 4 went missing.
Locals are saying city authorities failed to take into account storm water drains so rainfall now has no other way to drain than through the city streets.
“In pursuit of profits from vacationers, they’ve erected buildings, but failed to take into account storm water drains, outlets and storage tanks. Now it’s a problem,” one user wrote on its VKontakte page.1
“During the construction, natural water flows from the mountains were disturbed. Therefore, water is flowing along streets,” said another.
References:
1 ‘Biblical’ Flash Floods Hit Russian Black Sea Resort amid Storms, Tornadoes – Newsweek – July 24, 2022
Featured image credit: Sochi Auto Parts (stillshot)
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