Floods instead of fires: the elements test the strength of Transbaikalia

It took just a few days for the wildfires in the Transbaikal region, languishing in heat and drought, to be replaced by flooding, due to heavy rains that hit the region.

As reported by the chief specialist of the Meteonovosti news agency Tatyana Pozdnyakova , on July 1, 77 mm of precipitation fell in Chita, which became a new daily record - the previous maximum of this day was recorded in 1947 and amounted to 49 mm. In the urban-type settlement of Karymskoye, 91 mm of precipitation fell. At the same time, the daily maximum in July for Zabaikalsky Krai is 100 mm - this is what fell on the region in 1980.

The Chita Hydrometeorological Center specified that the cyclone arrived in the region on June 30. The heaviest rains occurred in the Chita, Karymsky, Duldurginsky, Aginsky, Mogoytuysky, and Tungokochensky districts, where 38 to 84 mm of precipitation fell in 12 hours; at the Darasun meteorological station, 116 mm fell during the same time.

From June 30 to July 2, 84 mm fell in Chita, with the monthly norm being 88 mm. Less and about half of the monthly precipitation norm was recorded in most of the Transbaikal Territory, but in some areas the rain plan has already been exceeded. Thus, 116 mm fell in the village of Usugli (105-118% of the norm), 134 mm (158%) in the urban-type settlement of Karymskoye, and 198 mm (220%) in the urban-type settlement of Kurort-Darasun. The Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Transbaikal Territory claims that the three-month precipitation norm fell in the village of Kurort-Darasun.

Let us recall that in mid-June, Governor Alexander Osipov stated that the region was experiencing the worst forest fire situation in 76 years, due to the lack of rain, heat and strong winds. Local residents prayed for rain, as they were unable to curb the fire, and dozens of new fires were detected daily.

Rescuers, volunteers and volunteers did not have time to catch their breath after the fires and collect the reservoirs, as a new disaster came to the region. Rains began in Zabaikalsky Krai, but in some places there was too much precipitation. On the morning of July 1, a section of the railway was washed away at the Darasun station, and an embankment collapsed. Fortunately, there were no emergencies, and restoration work was carried out on the spot.

In Darasun itself, water washes away the soil and carries away vegetable gardens. According to local residents, in some areas the water reached waist-deep. Due to the collapse of the soil, one of the houses ended up on the edge of a cliff.

Darasun head Valentina Chermnykh told Chita.Ru that the house could collapse with the next rain, and it would be impossible to live in it any longer. She specified that 4-5 thousand cubic meters of embankment are needed to strengthen the cliff, but over time this strengthening will also be washed away. In this regard, the administration is helping residents collect their belongings, including furniture. There are other damaged houses.

"As such, there are no seriously damaged houses. There are houses where groundwater entered, there are houses where there were washouts, there are houses where water entered and exited - passed through the basement... We have identified nine such houses where we need to go to inspect the damage. We have only one house under threat," the head of the village explained.

Volunteers are already helping to pump water out of houses.

Chermnykh said that the cause of the severe erosion was springs and mountain rivers, many of which had dried up, but after the rains they filled up again and did not follow their usual course. The head of Darasun added that roads suffered the most from the erosion, and some houses were cut off due to flooding.

The village of Makkaveevo is another settlement that suffered from the onslaught of the elements. Due to the rise in the water level in the Ungur River, rescuers evacuated five people, including three children.

Not only the Ministry of Emergency Situations but also the Zabaikalsky Railways joined in the liquidation of the spill. They created a protective dam and drainage structures to contain the powerful flow of water.

The railway workers also took care of the Makkaveevo station. The Zabaikalsky Railway equipment constructed a diversion for flood waters.

Due to the rising water level in the Kruchina River, areas in the village of Ilyinka were flooded, and the neighboring village of Novotroitsk was also flooded.

Later, the village of Tankha began to flood. Local residents said that the water washed away two bridges and that it was becoming more and more. The Urulga River floods the village of the same name.

Residents of Urulga showed footage from the village. According to them, the water rose very quickly.

Residents of Urulga reported a sharp rise in the water level in the river. Photo: Irina Prokhorenko. Volunteers of Zabaikalskye

Water washed away the road between the settlements of Verkh-Usugli and Tungokochen.

Residents of the village of Uldurgi appealed to the head of the Tungokochensky district. Back in the spring, the only bridge burned down during a fire, and the rising water level in the Kucheger River washed away the only road connecting the settlement with the outside world. The village has problems with the Internet and communications, the store has run out of food, and ambulances cannot come to patients.

The elements did not bypass the regional capital. Residents of Chita report flooding, collapses of soil and asphalt.

Symbol of the recent rains in Chita. Photo: ZAB.RU

The bad weather has moved further east, where heavy rains are flooding Khabarovsk today. In one video, you can see a strong wind blowing down a billboard, after which its direction suddenly changes to the opposite. Heavy rainfall has turned roads into rivers, knocked down trees and structures, and damaged cars. According to local media, the downpour lasted for half an hour, after which the sun came out.

As reported by the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Zabaikalsky Krai, as of the morning of July 2, four settlements were flooded. Since then, the number of people affected by the flooding has increased, but the ministry has not provided any new data on the situation.

At that time, 48 household plots were flooded, a bridge on a regional road was damaged. The governor confirmed the information about flooded roads and home territories.

The Ministry of Housing and Public Utilities, Energy, Digitalization and Communications of the Zabaikalsky Krai reported that "local, point" power supply disruptions were detected. The department claims that most of the breakdowns have been eliminated, but in some settlements there is still no power. Restoration work continues.

Heavy rains have significantly improved the situation with forest fires, but some of them are still smoldering.

Satellite images show the almost complete disappearance of fires in the Transbaikal region. Photo: NASA FIRMS

The Ministry of Natural Resources of Zabaikalsky Krai reported that as of July 3, there were six forest fires in the region covering an area of ​​800 hectares. In one day, fires were extinguished on an area of ​​4.8 thousand hectares, and the spread of five fires on an area of ​​3.4 thousand hectares was stopped. Let us recall that as of the morning of June 30, before the onset of heavy rains, there were 33 forest fires in the region covering an area of ​​250 thousand hectares.

It is worth noting that the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported 14 active forest fires on 18 thousand hectares. Eight fires have been localized on an area of ​​more than 17 thousand hectares. Andrey Varfolomeyev, Head of the Crisis Management Center of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Zabaikalsky Krai, specified that compared to the first days of summer, the area engulfed in flames has decreased by 55 times.

There are also discrepancies in the statements of the departments regarding the forces involved. Previously, experts noted the need to create a unified monitoring system that takes into account fires of all classifications and on all types of land.

The Ministry of Natural Resources has calculated the damage from the fires: 2.8 billion rubles. The authorities want to collect this money from the detained violators of the fire safety regulations. A week ago, State Duma deputy Andrei Gurulev reported about almost 100 detained arsonists, most of whom do not face criminal charges due to their age.

"All this damage will be presented to the violators of the fire safety regulations and to those people whom we caught. 90% of the causes of all fires are human factors," emphasized the region's Minister of Natural Resources Pavel Volzhin .

In the coming days, short-term rains are expected in Transbaikalia, sometimes with thunderstorms. After a slight cooling, the thermometers began to rise again, and in some places they have already risen above +30 degrees.

“Another cyclone is expected to enter the Trans-Baikal Territory on July 9,” the Ministry of Emergency Situations warned .

In this regard, the forces and resources of the regional subsystem of the RSChS have been put on high alert.

In the next two days, the water level in the rivers of Transbaikalia will continue to rise, and in some places on small rivers it will reach the floodplain. Due to the rains, the level of most rivers rose by 5-32 cm, but on small rivers a rise of 45-130 cm was recorded. Until July 5, an orange weather hazard level has been declared for flooding on the Chita River near the village of Shishkino and the regional center. It is predicted that the water will reach the floodplain with flooding of vegetable gardens and roads.

At the same time, in some areas of the region, the fire danger remains high. Local residents have reported several new fires in the last couple of days, but the flames have not flared up to the scale of last week.

The head of the Meteo forecasting center, Alexander Shuvalov, told Novye Izvestia that heavy rains in Transbaikalia are practically excluded until July 8, and neither deep cyclones nor contrasting atmospheric fronts are observed on the horizon.

He noted that the transition to cool weather after the heat of +37… +38 degrees was naturally accompanied by catastrophic precipitation. Since all this has already happened, no serious rain is expected in the next 3-4 days. The weather forecaster emphasized that a reliable forecast of heavy precipitation can only be given for 2-3 days, but without a detailed localization of their fall.

"On July 8-9, a cyclonic depression is expected to rise from Mongolia. It may be associated with the development of intense convective activity, which means thunderstorm rains of a torrential nature. But since there will not be too high temperatures, the precipitation will not take on a catastrophic nature," Shuvalov explained the information about the new cyclone on July 9.

The expert specified that the next cyclone will approach against a different temperature background. In the coming days, thermometers will show +21… +26 degrees. There will be rain, heavy in places, but it will not come to a repeat of the situation, and a new portion of extreme precipitation is not predicted.