Water levels in Russia's Ural River hit all-time record, aggravating situation after flooding

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Water levels in Russia's Ural River have hit an all-time record, exceeding 10.87 meters and continue rising and further aggravating the situation caused by last week's flooding, governor of the southern Orenburg region Denis Pasler said on Thursday.

Speaking in Moscow at a flood response meeting chaired by President Vladimir Putin, Pasler said the previous record-high of 9.42m was registered in 1942.

The critical level for the Ural River in Orenburg is 9.30m, the governor added.

According to preliminary estimation, the flooding has caused almost 40 billion rubles ($426 million) damage, and the figure is likely to increase, Pasler warned.

The deluge affected 78 settlements, almost 12,000 houses, 15,000 private plots and 16 government departments were inundated, he said.

Emergency Situations Minister Aleksander Kurenkov said he was in Orenburg region to supervise the rescue operations.

Construction Minister Irek Faizullin has also been working in the region for several days. He chairs the commission estimating the scale of destruction and needs of restoration works.

As many as 41 points of temporary accommodation with a capacity for hosting 16,000 people are in operation.

Kurgan region governor Vadim Shumkov told the meeting that the water level in the Tobol River was close to 9 meters, meaning 62 settlements are likely to be hit by flooding.

Authorities are preparing 99 points of temporary accommodation capable to give shelter to over 25,000 people, he said.