Today, Russia takes a day off to mourn those lost in the flooding this past Friday in the towns of Krymsk, Glendzhik and Novorossiysk. The devastating surge of water of more than seven meters high dismantled homes and killed over 171 people, thus far.
"People just ran from their homes because there was a huge wall of water," one woman told the Russian News Service, a Moscow-based radio station.
In addition to the 171 dead, over 104 required hospital care and some 320 sought medical attention.
Floodwaters were so intense that they tore the grasp of a mother holding her 10-year-old daughter as well as moved a truck 10 meters. Five people were electrocuted when power lines fell into the water.
Those lucky to be alive face multiple problems including no electricity, damaged roads, lack of communication and damaged water supply. 10,000 rubles ($304.00 USD) have already been promised to approximately 20,000 of the most affected individuals.
"Tkachov vowed at a public meeting that the government will "build ... a new home for you in three to four months, before the beginning of the cold period," according to the same report." (CNN Report: Russia declares day of mourning for flood victims)
Sadly, I think we have all learned from the 2010 Haiti earthquake (more information about the earthquake in Tectonic Shifts: Haiti Since the Earthquake) that this matter will not be resolved in three to four months. Power is the last to be restored, and with terrential down-pours underway, I do not forsee the country fixing the towns' problems until Mid 2013 at the earliest. I hate to be the pessimist, here.
Hopefully, I am wrong; but the 2004 tsunami (see Dual Disasters) had the same effect - at a larger scale than the flooding in Russia: the people killed and dispatched from this disaster is estimated well over the millions with billions of dollars in restoration fees.
Washington is read to help the Russian government and calls on many for support.
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