Heavy rains triggered flooding in Russia’s Far East on Wednesday, forcing evacuations and prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency in parts of the Sakhalin region.
The Sakhalin regional government said water levels along the Kazachka River rose due to sand buildup caused by heavy rains and storm surges in the Nevelsky district on the island’s southwestern tip.
Authorities declared a municipal-level state of emergency in the Nevelsky district. Meteorologists said a low-pressure system off the east coast of Sakhalin, an island located near Japan, would continue to produce poor weather conditions in the area into Wednesday night.
Traffic was suspended on a coastal highway due to mudslides and damaged bridges.
Emergency crews brought 37 people to safety, including two children, after floods hit the village of Kolkhoznoye near the city of Nevelsk. Officials said nearly 70 homes were damaged, but no deaths or injuries were reported.
Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry warned that heavy winds and rain are expected to hit the Kuril Islands, part of the Sakhalin region, later in the week.
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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