Putin orders probe as Russian floods kill 150

The southern Russian town of 57,000 was the hardest hit in the area, a popular region for tourists near the site of the 2014 Olympic Games.

Thousands were left homeless by Friday’s overnight flash flooding and almost 30,000 homes remained without electricity and gas on Sunday, emergency officials said. Gelendzhik, on the Black Sea coast, also sustained damage and lost at least nine residents, the Interior Ministry said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, criticised for his government’s slow emergency response, flew to the region and ordered investigators to find out if enough was done to prevent the deaths. The government said it would also put aside money to build new homes in the area, a relatively rich region with agriculture, tourism and a large port that ships wheat and crude oil.

Day of mourning

The flooding followed a month of rain which worsened on Friday night, damaging homes and forcing survivors to take shelter in tent camps set up outside Krymsk by emergency services teams.

Putin has asked the Emergencies Ministry to check a reservoir near Krymsk. The state water resource agency has rejected suggestions by residents that a release of water from a nearby reservoir was responsible for the severe flooding.

The governor of Krasnodar region, Alexander Tkachyov, declared 9 July a day of mourning for victims. Most of those who died were drowned, many of them elderly residents caught unaware as they slept. Those who survived climbed into trees and onto roofs to stay above the water.

Transport chaos

Rail traffic resumed on Sunday and a spokesman at the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk said crude loadings would restart on Sunday. Power was still being restored to parts of the port, he said.

Russian Railways had suspended all trains heading to and from Novorossiisk where the water rose half a metre above the rails.

The Interfax news agency said the road from Novorossiisk to Gelendzhik was being cleared, but that transport, including rail traffic, had largely collapsed in the region.

Britain’s flood warnings

The severe weather was not limited to Russia’s south. But Britain’s flood warnings seemed mild in comparison. The weather was responsible for at least one death, however, when a driver skid off the road in poor conditions and died in a collision in Northumberland.

There remained a high risk of flooding in Devon on Sunday and a severe flood warning was in force, the UK Environment Agency said. In Dorset, the risk was reduced to medium. Across much of the rest of England, there was a low risk of river flooding and more rain expected across most of England.

The UK Met Office figures for June show double the average amount of rain fell, making it the wettest June since records began in 1910.

US severe weather

Britain and Russia weren’t alone in their misery. The eastern coast of the US is experiencing severe thunderstorms that have knocked down trees and powerlines in the northeast including upstate New York.

On Sunday, a cold front from the mid-Atlantic west to the Ohio Valley was expected to bring damaging wind gusts and large hail to cities including Washington, DC.

Crews were still trying to restore power knocked out 29 June to about 2,000 homes, mainly in West Virginia, with thunderstorms hampering efforts.