Over a dozen cities and districts on Russia’s Pacific coast have declared a state of emergency over torrential rains that have caused severe floods this week.
Footage showed flooded roads and homes, as well as dangerous mudslides, in the major Far Eastern city of Vladivostok. Weather forecasters say a month’s worth of rainfall has descended on the city in two days, with more precipitation expected in the coming days.
“Due to heavy rains, a regional emergency has been introduced in the Primorye region that covers 15 municipalities,” the regional administration announced Thursday.
Vladivostok’s municipal administration declared an emergency Wednesday, saying it will stay in place until relief efforts are complete. Around 100 homes have flooded in nearby villages and one road has been washed out, it said.
Vladivostok Mayor Oleg Gumeniuk on Thursday estimated that the damage to Vladivostok's infrastructure at 100 million rubles ($1.5 million).
Emergency officials tallied 500 flooded homes in the region and said almost 170 people have been evacuated.
No casualties have been reported.
In neighboring Japan, floods and landslides caused by torrential rains have killed at least two people and prompted authorities to issue evacuation orders for nearly 850,000 people and a rare emergency warning.
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