Amur River Flooding Hits Historic Level in Russia’s Far East

KHABAROVSK, August 18 (RIA Novosti) – The water level of the Amur River in Russia's Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk has peaked at 642 centimeters, reaching the historic maximum of 1897, a local government official said on Sunday.

“Today at 12 p.m. this level was recorded in Khabarovsk. The level is forecast to rise up to 7 meters,” said a deputy head of the local government’s civil defense department, Yevgeny Kuzmin.

Nearly 28,500 people have been affected by floods in three regions in Russia’s Far East – the Amur Region, the Khabarovsk Territory and the Jewish Autonomous Region – following heavy rains.

The floods have inundated some 4,380 houses, inhabited by over 27,000 people in the Amur Region and some 959 people in the Khabarovsk Territory and the Jewish Autonomous Region.

More than 17,000 people have been evacuated, including 6,100 children. One hundred and sixty-six temporary shelters have been set up across the three regions, providing drinking water, hot food and medical supplies.