Flooding in Russia Forces 20,000 from Homes

August 19,2013

AP Photo/Russian Emergency Ministry, Khabarovsk region branch

In this Sunday, Aug. 18, 2013 photo provided by the Russian Emergency Ministry, Khaabarovsk region branch, the Amur River sailors evacuate people from a flooded village in the Khabarovsk region.

MOSCOW -- The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry says around 20,000 people have been forced to leave their homes since July in the wake of floods in Russia's Far East.
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Ministry spokeswoman Irina Rossius said Monday that the evacuation is underway in three Far East regions, some 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) east of Moscow. Some of the evacuees have moved into emergency shelters.
Authorities estimate that another 14,000 people were also affected.
Alexander Frolov, chief of the Russian Meteorological Service, told news agencies on Monday that floods have reached their peak in the Amur region. But the situation is expected to get worse in two other areas.
Authorities say that the floods have caused an estimated 2 billion rubles ($61 million) in damages.