Floods in Far East have caused major damage - Putin
SOCHI. Aug 19 (Interfax) - The flood situation in the Far East remains serious and has caused a large amount of damage, so the regional authorities and ministries involved in addressing this emergency cannot afford to relax, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a conference call dedicated to the flooding in the regions.
"Large territories and dozens of settlements have been flooded. Communication lines, roads, bridges, and power transmission lines have been damaged. The damage is very substantial. The most important thing we've managed to do is prevent deaths," Putin said.
The Russian president thanked all of those who participated in the preparation of evacuation points and in evacuating survivors, noting that everything was done promptly.
"But you can't relax. There's still a lot of work to be done, so I'm asking you now to report on how the situation is unfolding," Putin said.
The infrastructure impacted by the flooding will be fully restored; the most important task is to prevent irreparable losses, he said.
"Without a doubt, we'll restore the agricultural facilities, bridges, roads, communication lines, and power transmission - all of the so-called 'hardware', so to speak. The issue is not to allow damage to people and, most importantly, not to allow any irretrievable losses," Putin said.
He instructed the participants in the meeting, including the governors of the affected regions and the leaders of the federal authorities, to focus their attention on this task.
"The situation is indeed complicated, but it's controllable, it's under control. And if we work cohesively - and that's most important - then we'll really be able to minimize these losses and not allow any irretrievable losses," the Russian president said.
Putin pointed out that the impacted regions are in a complex climactic zone, so special attention should be given to preparing them for the fall and winter period.
"Despite the complication of today's flood situation, we should not forget preparations for winter. It arrives quickly there, in the blink of an eye," Putin said.
The situation connected with hydraulic structures should continue to be controlled with the utmost care, he said.
Putin instructed the parties to minimize the negative impact on the population in the flooded regions and to bring everyone to safety.
"We need to minimize the negative consequences for the people, everyone in the flooded zone and in danger, and they should be brought to safe places, which should be prepared ahead of time," the president said. He added that a water supply and medicines should be provided, the territory should be sanitized, and people should be vaccinated in a timely manner.
Putin told the governors of the affected regions to personally monitor the situation and, in case of any dramatic changes, to report to him immediately.
"I ask the heads of all the Russian regions currently faced with flooding problems [to report on] how it's going and deal with these problems personally. Nobody should be forgotten and nobody should be lost, I mean the people who reside in our territories," Putin said.
"I request that you report to me everyday, and if the situation changes dramatically, immediately," the president said.