Heavy rains — as much as 9 inches in a 48-hour period — have caused mass destruction in western Ukraine, flooding several dozen villages and cities in five Ukrainian oblasts.
In a region already struggling with a serious COVID-19 outbreak, the rain is making it harder to fight the coronavirus.
The downpour, which started on June 20, flooded a hospital that treats COVID-19 patients in Halych, a town in Ivano-Frankivsky Oblast, some 580 kilometers to the west of Kyiv.
“The district hospital in the city of Halych is flooded and patients are being evacuated,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said during a visit to the oblast on June 24. “There are certain complications as that there are patients (infected) with coronavirus.”
However, the next day, Volodymyr Chernetsky, head of the local office of the State Emergency Services, announced that the COVID-19 patients had stayed in the hospital.
“Patients who could be released were allowed to go home,” he said. “The rest were prepared for an evacuation. But the water didn’t rise (further). The hospital didn’t lose electricity.”
“Currently, around 50 patients, 14 of whom have COVID19, remain in the hospital,” Chernetsky added.
Dangerous weather
The downpours started earlier on June 20 and have already destroyed power lines and dams in Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zakarpattia and Lviv oblasts. At least two people have died and one person is missing.
Read more: 3 reportedly drown as western Ukraine hit with heavy rains, flooding
In a Facebook post, Shmygal wrote that helicopters had delivered three tons of humanitarian aid, including food and basic necessities, to the flooded areas.
As of the morning of June 24, over 165 settlements were affected by the floods and nearly 110 kilometers of roads and 19 bridges were destroyed, according to Shmygal.
As of June 25, 610 people were evacuated from the flooded regions, according to the State Emergency Service.
During a meeting with the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on June 25, Shmyhal said the government’s priorities are saving people’s lives, infrastructure recovery and preventing such catastrophes in the future, as well as delivering food and water to the flooded areas.
Shmyhal also asked authorities to create special programs to eliminate the causes of the flooding. According to the prime minister, the government plans to make an audit of the State Forest Resources Agency and change the management of most forestries.
“There should be preventive measures,” Shmygal said. “It is a question of systematic work concerning fixing dams, strengthening coasts, preserving floodplains and the very important prevention of illegal deforestation,” he added.
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CORONAVIRUS IN UKRAINE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- As of 9 a.m. on June 25: 1,067 people have died from the disease in Ukraine and 17,758 have recovered.
- 40,008 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Ukraine as of June 25. The first case was identified on March 3.
- Ukraine entered the fourth stage of lifting quarantine on June 10.
- Indoor restaurants, domestic flights resumed on June 5, international flights on June 15
- How the Ukrainian government has been responding: TIMELINE
- Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipro subways reopened on May 25.
- Why the Kyiv Post isn’t making its coverage free in the times of COVID-19.
- With international travel on hold, Ukrainians prepare to travel across Ukraine
- TripsGuard website tracks coronavirus travel restrictions in 84 nations.
- Where to buy masks.
