Peak of flood in Khabarovsk is over

Russian Minister of Emergency Situations Vladimir Puchkov stated that the peak of the flood had already passed in Khabarovsk, but the flood situation down Amur River is tense. “The water level went down in Khabarovsk. The peak of flood passed in Khabarovsk,” Puchkov told Itar-Tass on Thursday. Presently, major flood relief efforts are focused on settlements down the Amur River. “The emergency task force was created in each settlement, people were evacuated from the flood hazardous zone in advance,” the minister noted. The units of qualified rescuers were dispatched from central Russian regions to Komsomolsk-on-Amur on Thursday. “Meanwhile, we are leaving in Khabarovsk Territory all property and machinery, which were transferred here,” Puchkov said. According to the Far Eastern weather forecasting service, the water level on Amur River went down seven centimeters for the first time in the last three months of summer and the first week of September, has made a little bit more than eight meters and did not went up a single centimeter on Thursday. “Today we have examined the condition of two Amur tributaries, forecast rain in the regions of Sungari and Ussuri Rivers and came to conclusion that a historical maximum of 808 centimeters that Amur River reached on September 4 was passed and now the water will be going down. This process is slow. The water level of Amur River at Khabarovsk will go down two meters by the end of September,” the regional weather forecasting service said. Major flood relief efforts are focused on Komsomolsk-on-Amur, the service said. The water level of Amur River goes up by 12-17 centimeters per day at the city. The peak of the flood is expected on September 11-15 with a water level of 930 centimeters and even 980 centimeters.