Russian president, other officials tour flood-hit Blagoveshchensk district by helicopter
BLAGOVESHCHENSK. Aug 29 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, who arrived in the Amur region last night, has taken a helicopter flight over the flood-stricken villages in the Blagoveshchensk district.
The localities that were inspected by Putin included the village of Vladimirovka, where houses are submerged in flood waters up to the roof. Regional Governor Oleg Kozhemyako and presidential envoy to the Far East Viktor Ishayev informed the country's leader of the flood-related situation during the flight.
More than 1,200 houses and hundreds of household plots have been damaged by the floods in the Blagoveshchensk district alone. Vladimirovka has been hit the hardest by the flooding. The villages of Ust-Ivanovka, Grodekovo, Kanikurgan and Zarechnye have been affected as well.
Flood waters have already begun receding in these localities.
The floods peaked in Vladimirovka on August 15, when the water level in a local river reached 8.12 meters. It currently stands at 6.1 meters.
The devastating floods, which started in the Amur region over a month ago, have destroyed or damaged more than 70 bridges and over 1,200 kilometers of local roads. Over the past few days, road links have been restored with 13 of the 47 localities that remain cut off by the floods.
More than 4,400 houses, where 23,600 people live, are still submerged by flood waters in 46 towns and villages.
The floods have also damaged 69 highway bridges in the region.
