Evacuations in Kazakhstan and Russia Due to Floods

The Ministry of Emergency Situations in Kazakhstan announced today, Friday, that nearly 100,000 people have been evacuated due to floods. The ministry added that a state of emergency remains in effect in eight out of the country's 17 regions. Meanwhile, the governor of the Kurgan region in Russia, Vadim Shumkov, stated via Telegram that the village of Kamenskoye was evacuated on Friday morning after water levels rose by 1.4 meters overnight. Kamenskoye overlooks the Tobol River, which also flows through the center of the Kurgan region, a city with a population of 300,000. Shumkov mentioned that Kurgan could be hit by flooding in the coming days. He added, "We can only hope that the floodplain is extensive and that the ground absorbs as much water as possible on its way," also noting that a dam in Kurgan is being reinforced. Russian news agency reports quoted Alexey Kudinov, the deputy mayor of the city of Orenburg located on the Ural River, stating that floodwaters inundated hundreds of homes overnight. He added that the flood is expected to peak on Friday and begin to recede within two days.