Heavy rains have triggered flooding in Russia’s Far East, forcing evacuations and prompting authorities to declare emergencies in the Magadan region and the neighboring republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
Magadan region Governor Sergei Nosov said earlier this week that several sections of federal and regional highways were closed and around 20 bridge crossings were at risk of being washed away.
Authorities said the floods knocked out power in the town of Omsukchan, 420 kilometers (260 miles) northwest of Magadan city, with emergency crews still unable to locate the source of the outage as of Thursday. Around 40 vehicles were stranded in the area, forcing authorities to airlift eight women and children to the regional capital and deliver supplies to truck drivers waiting for floodwaters to recede.
In Sakha, where an emergency order has been in effect since flooding in mid-July, local media reported that rescue crews evacuated 13 residents from the flooded village of Orto-Balagan by helicopter. Residents also said that the town of Oymyakon, the coldest permanently inhabited human settlement on Earth, had been cut off by high waters.
Climate scientists have long warned that Russia, warming around 2.5 times faster than the global average, is increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events, including prolonged heat waves and heavy rainfall that causes severe flooding.
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