Over 6,000 people fled their homes due to the floods in Kurgan region of Russiaas reported today by the RIA news agency citing local authorities.

The deluge caused by the melting snow forced more than 110,000 people from their homes in Russia’s Urals, Siberia and Kazakhstan after major rivers, such as the Urals, which flows through Kazakhstan and empties into the Caspian, overflowed.

The Russian authorities warned today thatThe situation remains “difficult” in the Orenburg region, in the Uralsone of the areas hardest hit by the historic floods that have been occurring in Russia and neighboring Kazakhstan for days.

In Tomsk Region, Siberia, the waters of the river Tom have flooded the roadsflooding some homes and cutting off three villages from the regional capital, local officials told state media.

Over 100,000 people have left their homes these last days, mainly in Kazakhstan, but also in Russia.

And in some areas, water levels continue to rise.

Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov is in the Orenburg region, “where the situation regarding flooding remains tense,” as his services reported on Telegram.

The level in the Ural River in this area reached 10.6 meters, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations. It surpassed the level considered “critical” as well as the record of 9.46 meters set in 1942.

“This year’s flood exceeds all historical observational data” in the region, Orenburg city government said on Telegram, citing the regional governor.

After Friday, when Ural dams broke in Orsk, some residents expressed their anger at the way local officials handled the situation, calling for more compensation and help from President Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin said Putin is being regularly briefed on the situation but does not currently plan to visit the area while emergency services try to manage rising water levels.

In Orenburg, some residents expressed frustration that local officials had not done enough to prepare for this year’s snow melt.

“There is a lot of upset, anger and strong emotions which I understand and share,” said Orenburg Mayor Sergei Shalmin. “The issue of compensation and the process for processing payments is one of the key issues.”

Russia

The snows are melting

Spring floods are common for Russia – which covers an area the size of the US and Australia combined – as winter snow melts and some of Russia’s and central Asia’s major rivers swell.

This year, however, a combination of factors triggered unusually severe flooding, according to emergency services. According to officials, the ground had not absorbed rainwater before the arrival of winter and then that water froze as snow fell, which then melted very quickly with rising spring temperatures and heavy rainfall.

Russia

Researchers have warned that rising temperatures will increase the occurrence of extreme weather events and that Russia’s large forested areas play an important role in the climate.

In Kurgan, an area drained by the Tobol River, the water level in Zverinogolovkoye rose above the critical 10-meter mark, said governor Vadim Shumkov, who visited families who had fled their homes.

The blow was also serious in Kazakhstan.

The emergency ministry said this morning that the number of people forced to leave their homes stood at more than 97,000, the same as yesterday, while a state of emergency remained in effect in eight regions of the country.