"A total of 7,800 people, including 2,117 children, have been evacuated from flooded houses and household plots; 1,415 people, 256 of whom are children, are residing in temporary accommodation centers," the administration said on Telegram.
Additionally, over 600 heads of cattle have been relocated to safer areas, the statement read.
Fortunately, no one has been killed by the floods in the city of Orenburg, Mayor Sergei Salmin said. The authorities’ main goal is to prevent casualties, which is why people are being encouraged to leave flooded areas on their own, the mayor added.
"Because, of course, it will be impossible to evacuate thousands of people by boats. We evacuate hundreds of people per day, which is not an easy job as well, because it is difficult to navigate the terrain due to an extremely strong current — it is tricky to work there," Salmin told the media.
Russian regions located in the Ural Mountains and Siberia have been grappling for days with strong floods sparked by rapid snowmelt and rising water levels in rivers. The regions of Orenburg, Tyumen and Kurgan have declared a state of emergency. In Orsk, the situation worsened after a dam burst last week that prompted the mass evacuation of local residents.