Amid an ongoing battle with the coronavirus, Ukraine’s western regions have been ravaged by heavy rains and flooding.
Muddy, overflowing rivers washed away bridges and roads, flooded several dozen villages and cities and destroyed power lines and dams in Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zakarpattia and Lviv oblasts.
By the evening of June 22, the interior ministry reported that the water levels in mountain rivers had risen by two meters. As downpours continued on June 23, meteorologists announced an extremely dangerous weather warning for Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi oblasts and a dangerous weather warning for Lviv Oblast.
In Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, 29 villages were cut off from transport infrastructure as water flooded roads with mud and debris, rendering them impassable. In total, 307 people were evacuated, according to the State Emergency Service.
At least three people died in the oblast, according to media reports. An elderly woman fell down into the flood waters and drowned in Dzembronya village. In Yablunytsya village, two people drowned after their car fell into a swollen river.
In Chernivtsi Oblast, water caused a river dam to collapse and damaged another dam. Twenty-eight homes were flooded and 13 people were rescued.
Heavy rains and flooding are not uncommon in the mountainous Carpathian region. However, in recent years, extreme weather conditions have become more intense and frequent due to climate change, according to scientists.
Illegal logging in the region’s pristine forests, as well as poor flood risk management, are also contributing factors, according to environmental experts.
Social media users shared on June 23 photos and videos of the flooded intercity highway H09 that connects Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Mukachevo.
Яремче. 23.06.2020. В Микуличині розмило дорогу Н09. Проїзд перекритий. Кажуть що десь є зсув грунту.
Publiée par Василь Іванюк sur Mardi 23 juin 2020
