Very
typical of the western media to immediately give this a political
spin.
.
Russian floods kill 150 and leave thousands homeless
Anger at Putin regime as officials fail to issue warning before torrential floods hit towns in Krasnodar region
8
July, 2012
After
Russia's worst floods in recent memory swept through the south of the
country, thousands of people were last night sleeping in emergency
shelters or the ruins of their homes, as anger against the regime of
Vladimir Putin grew for failing to give warning of the disaster.
More
than 150 people, many of them elderly, died in the floods, after
authorities failed to issue warnings or evacuation orders.
The
town of Krymsk, home to around 57,000 people, was worst hit, with
residents describing how a five-metre (16ft) wave swept through homes
in the middle of the night, turning the town into a mudbath. Unlike
the dozens of other tragedies that hit Russia every year – from
aeroplane crashes to uncontrollable forest fires – anger with
Putin's regime was immediate and widespread.
Residents
said that even though officials admitted they knew a dangerous flood
was coming, they had issued no warning or evacuation order.
"If
we had been warned, people could have been saved," said Irina
Loskutova, 50, standing in a muddy square near the central market,
hoping to gather clothes and food as the city settled into a third
night with no electricity. "They knew and they didn't tell us."
According
to officials, heavy rains that hit Krymsk and other towns in Russia's
Krasnodar region overnight on Friday sent a torrential flood through
the city. Residents tell another story: the water came in such volume
and at such speed that they are convinced officials purposefully let
open the gates on a nearby reservoir, choosing to send its water
through Krymsk's winding roads in order to spare Novorossiysk, a
nearby port that is the country's largest and whose main harbour
facility is owned by allies of Putin. Alexander Tkachev, governor of
the Krasnodar region, said during a meeting with locals on Sunday
that the first warnings of flooding came in around 10pm on Friday
night – four hours before the waters hit. Residents say they were
given no warning.
"No
one told us anything," said one woman standing at the city
administration building, who asked not to be named. "Our
officials say the dam had nothing to do with it, but everyone here
knows otherwise."
A
spokesman for the prosecutor general's investigative committee said
the reservoir was not involved in the intense flooding. Local
prosecutors earlier admitted the gates had been opened, but it was
too early to say if that caused the flooding. Nearby towns were
untouched.
As
the town's morgues began to fill, refrigerated trucks were parked on
the streets outside a nearby hospital to contain the bodies of the
dead. Residents are convinced the final toll will reach into many
hundreds.
"We'll
know how many it really is when the funerals start," said
Volodya Lugovoi, 58, sitting on a porch by the city's main stadium,
now a vast pool whose pitch is dotted with floating cars.
Handwritten
lists of those who had registered as survivors hung outside the
municipal youth centre. "I need to find my son's girlfriend,"
said one man. "He's in the army. No one can find her."
The
tragedy has highlighted increasing dissatisfaction with Putin's
regime, and growing mistrust of official media as internet use grows.
Photos and videos taken on mobile phones revealing the scale of the
flood damage spread at lightning speed on social networks throughout
the weekend. On Saturday night, state TV news showed Putin flying
over the damaged area earlier in the day, but no mention was made of
the suffering of flood victims or the anger on the ground.
Putin
has ordered officials to investigate whether enough was done to warn
people about the floods. But in the absence of a large-scale relief
operation, opposition activists – many of whom have been protesting
against Putin since he announced his intention to run for re-election
– have launched their own efforts to send relief.
"We
heard one thing on TV and then saw another on Twitter so we decided
to come see for ourselves," said Viktor Chirikov, a volunteer
from Novorossiysk.
"The
administration here won't help us at all," said Alexey
Mandrigelya, 22, another activist.
The
emergencies ministry has set up a makeshift camp for some of those
who lost their homes in the floods, and local army units are
contributing to the effort to hand out water and clothes.
But
on the muddy streets of Krymsk, there were no police or government
relief workers to be seen.
Many
if the dead were elderly. Loskutova described how she saved her
76-year-old mother: "I was screaming, 'Mama mama!' The water
came in so fast and hard, we could barely break through the windows.
I prayed and screamed for her not to let go."
The
two women climbed on top of furniture where they stood until the
water almost reached the ceiling, then finally they climbed through
broken windows and on to the roof, she said.
"Then
I sat with her, wet and naked, for 12 hours on the roof." No
emergencies officials came, Loskutova said, and eventually her son
arrived with a boat and ferried them to a hospital. "Are we not
people?" she asked.
For
years, Putin was seen by many as the country's saviour. Now, 12 years
after first coming to power, he is increasingly seen as someone
overseeing a system that fails to protect it's own citizens.
A
39-year old woman who identified herself only as Natalia said she
managed to save her six children, her identification papers, and
nothing else. "The kids ask me: where will we live? I have no
idea what to say. We have no home," she said.
Natalia's
house was damaged in the city's last big flood 10 years ago, which
residents say was mild compared with the one that struck the region
this weekend. "[Officials] told me then they would help me
rebuild – I fought for 10 years and got nothing. I went into debt
to restart my life. Whatever they say now, I don't believe them – I
will never believe them," she said.
Coverage
from RT is available HERE
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