Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the Liberal Democratic Party leader known for his provocative pronouncements, has called for legislation forbidding government officials from vacationing in summer, a time of major disasters in the country historically.
"All unfortunate incidents in Russia occur in the July to August period. Summer is a time when all ministers and all those endowed with any kind of authority in our country should be at their places of work. This would motivate everyone, including the emergency services," Zhirinovsky said Tuesday during a State Duma session, according to Interfax.
He also suggested creating training centers in the regions whose role would be to educate the population about how to respond in emergency situations.
Zhirinovsky's recommendations come after torrential floods in the Krasnodar region claimed more than 170 lives over the weekend.
"Krasnodar region is being flooded, Kamchatka and Sakhalin are earthquake-prone. In those areas we need dedicated training centers," the LDPR leader said.
In recent years, several disasters have occurred during summer months. Wildfires broke out across western Russia in 2010, and a terrorist bombing of a power plant in the Kabardino-Balkaria republic in the same year put the whole country on alert.
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