MOSCOW, June 17 (RIA Novosti) – The number of flooded villages in Russia's Altai Territory, southern Siberia, has decreased by one third over the past 24 hours, the Emergency Ministry reported Tuesday.
"Some 16 towns in the nine municipal districts of the Altai Territory remain flooded, that is 532 houses with 1490 residents, including 384 children, as well as 960 small backyards. Emergency restoration work was completed in 188 out of 211 towns in the flooded area," the statement said.
The peak flooding in the Altai Territory has passed, the situation is now stable. The level of flood waters in the region drops in almost all areas.
The torrential flood has damaged 185.4 kilometers of roadway in the region, 52 kilometers are still flooded, and 67 bridges have been destroyed. Active reconstruction works in the affected localities are still under way. More than 3,500 farmsteads have already been cleared. Some 88 commissions are working to assess the damage.
Intense flooding in southern Siberia, which began after heavy rains, affected the Altai Territory, Gorny Altai, Khakassia and Tuva. The exact number of casualties is still unspecified. Russian government has allocated 3,75 billion rubles to help the victims, the first payments have already been made.
