Authorities in flood-stricken Krymsk in Krasnodar region have asked about 200 volunteers to abandon their post in a centrally located park and move to a camp six kilometers from the town center, citing sanitary concerns and complaints from residents.
Authorities said residents have lamented that there is no place to relax, Gazeta.ru reported Wednesday. The regional branch of the Emergency Situations Ministry and the town administration said the help of volunteers was still needed.
Acting head of Krymsky district Alexander Vasilyev signed an order Tuesday relocating the volunteers to a site on the outskirts of town, where another group of volunteers is already based. The order said the volunteers needed to be located in a single place to uphold sanitary standards.
The camp was located in a park adjacent to a hard-hit area of the town, whose residents were free to come and seek aid from the volunteers.
Concerned citizens traveled to Krymsk and surrounding areas as part of a major relief effort following the July 7 flooding disaster that left more than 170 dead and thousands of homes damaged or destroyed. According to the Emergency Situations Ministry, there are currently about 2,500 volunteers in Krymsk, Vedomosti reported.
Socialite and political activist Kseniya Sobchak announced Tuesday on Twitter that an auction held to fundraise for disaster relief had brought in 16 million rubles ($494,000).
After a visit to the region by President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, the number of army troops in the region to render aid was set to top 7,000.
On Wednesday, Putin ordered the Investigative Committee to deliver a report on authorities' handling of the flood and the subsequent damages by July 23, Itar-Tass reported.
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