Russia – Over 40 Houses Destroyed by Ishim River Floods in Tyumen

Over 1,000 families have been affected by flooding from the Ishim river in the Tyumen region of Russia.

According to a report of 23 May 2017 from the International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

“Between 10 and 15 May 2017, the destruction of the dam in the district of Ishim (Tyumen region) and water spills across the Ishim river caused massive flooding throughout Tyumen region, in particular, around the town of Ishim. The dam was destroyed due to the huge amount of melting snow and the discharge of water from the reservoir near the city of Petropavlovsk in Kazakhstan. Currently, the level of water is increasing approx. 50 centimetres per day. On 15 May, the water level on Ishim river has reached the critical point of 971 cm at Ishim city.”

More than 130 houses have been damaged by the flooding and 41 houses completely destroyed in Ishimsky district.

Local authorities started evacuations on 11 May 2017. As of 23 May, a total of 584 people had been evacuated, including 153 children. Around 400 of the evacuees found alternative shelter with friends or relatives, while around 160 people have been accommodated in temporary shelters.

IFRC says that flooding has also affected parts of the districts of Vikulovsky and Abatsky, where level of the water reached 1,128cm and 65 people were evacuated.

Flooding in Ishim. Photo: IFRC / Russian Red Cross Society.

NASA observations show dramatic before-and-after images of the area. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured the two images. The first image was taken on the final day of April, before the flooding began, but in the second image, acquired 13 May, the river was well beyond its banks and many of the city’s residents had been forced to evacuate.

Both images are false-color, combining infrared and visible light to create wavelengths in which water is shown in dark blue and vegetation is green.

Before the floods: Ishim River, Tyumen Oblast, Russia April, 2017. Image: NASA

The flooding Ishim River, Tyumen Oblast, Russia 13 May, 2017. Image: NASA

The floods forced local authorities to declare a state of emergency in Ishim, according to TASS.

As of May 31, levels of the Ishim River were 841 cm in Ishim, 1,076 cm in Abatsky and 1071 in Vikulovsky. Levels are thought to be falling and all homes in Ishim have been cleared of flood water according to local media.