A powerful snowstorm buried homes and disrupted essential services in Russia’s Far East last week, regional media reported Monday, as local authorities prepared for another winter storm.
Heavy snowfall began last Tuesday, blanketing the Sakhalin region capital city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, as well as surrounding towns and villages. Municipal crews removed at least 430,000 cubic meters (15,185,306 cubic feet) of snow, while local drivers blamed snow removal vehicles for worsening traffic congestion.
In the town of Sokol, north of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, a homeowner found his house completely buried under snow, while in a nearby multi-story residential building, snow sliding off the roof shattered the windows of a ground-floor apartment.
Residents of a village in the Dolinsky district reported being trapped in a four-day “snow blockade” that halted fresh bread deliveries and raised concerns about ambulance and fire engine access. In the town of Dolinsk, uncollected trash piled up for days as waste management vehicles were unable to navigate snow-covered streets.
More than 50,000 students from nearly 100 schools in and around Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk switched to remote learning.
There were no reports of injuries or significant damage amid the heavy snowfall.
Emergency officials issued a new storm warning for Tuesday across the same southern districts hit by the previous snowstorm, urging residents and visitors to exercise caution.
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