Alert
Ukraine - No. 28/2008
Geneva, 29 July 2008
Floods in the western regions of Ukraine: Ivano-Frankyivs, Chernivtsi, Lviv and Subcarpathia
Five days of torrential rains have caused major flooding as the Dniestr and Prut Rivers burst their banks in an area close to the Romanian border (see ACT Alert number 27/2008 issued yesterday for floods in Northern Romania).
Most of the destruction has occurred along the 1,400-kilometre-long Dniestr River. Among the 35 people reported dead, five of them were children. Two people remain missing. Close to 50,000 homes have been flooded and 34,000 hectares of the agricultural lands and 220 km roads are under water. Local authorities have evacuated 7,000 people.
Ukrainian First Deputy Chairman Oleksander Turchynov reports that this is the worst flood situation the country has experienced in the past 100 years. President Viktor Yushchenko flew from Kiev to the worst affected area in the Ivano-Frankivsk region after leaving a service early that marked the 1,020th anniversary of the adoption of Orthodox Christianity in the region.
As of Monday morning, authorities had not yet been able to restore electricity supplies to 185 towns and villages, according to Ukrainian news sources.
Resources and people engaged in the rescue operations include 2,550 workers and 564 units of machinery. However, the available governmental budget, 280 million Hryvnas (US $60 million), will not be enough to cover all the needs.
The Ivano-Frankivsk region is the worst hit, with 28 deaths, 488 affected towns and 22,930 homes under water. More than 28,000 hectares of land and 579 km of roads are flooded with 700 bridges either damaged or destroyed. The regions of Chernivtsi, Lviv and Subcarpathia also sustained significant damage to homes, crops, roads and bridges.
ACT member, Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA), is currently assessing the situation through the HIA Humanitarian Office in Beregovo as well as through a local partner. An onsite assessment will be undertaken as soon as the affected areas are accessible.
Any funding indication or pledge should be communicated to Jessie Kgoroeadira, ACT Finance Officer (jkg@act-intl.org).
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ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.
The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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