The Russian government, by March 1, 2020, should develop measures to hold officials accountable who untimely warn the population of an emergency or the possibility of its occurrence. The corresponding order was signed by President Vladimir Putin.

“The Government of the Russian Federation, together with the EMERCOM of Russia, should ensure that the legislation of the Russian Federation is amended to provide for ... responsibility of officials for failure to provide or untimely provision of comprehensive information to ensure measures for the prevention and liquidation of emergencies,” the Kremlin website reports.

As part of the same order, the government should ensure access to information and resources by the Ministry of Emergencies in the framework of the “unified state system for the prevention and liquidation of emergency situations at no cost”.

Putin appointed Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Emergencies Minister Yevgeny Zinichev responsible for implementing this order.

This and several other instructions the president gave on September 28 following a meeting on flood management in the Far Eastern Federal District. It took place on September 17 at the Emergencies Ministry crisis center in Moscow.

So, the government and the Ministry of Emergencies will have to develop a mechanism providing for the mandatory transfer to municipal ownership of those sections on which buildings are found unsuitable for life due to the flood. In this case, the mechanism should be activated only after the owners have received all the payments provided for them to purchase or build a new house or apartment.

The Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministry of Emergencies were also instructed to assess the cost of construction of protective structures and the damage that may be caused to the infrastructure if they are absent.

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin
  • RIA News
  • © Alexey Nikolsky

Emergencies Ministry exercises

Putin also instructed to conduct unscheduled exercises and training for EMERCOM employees.

“To ensure unscheduled exercises and trainings within the framework of a unified state system for the prevention and liquidation of emergency situations with the involvement of interested federal executive bodies and organizations with practical elaboration of the issues of preparedness for emergency response and liquidation,” the text of the document says.

A report on these events should be presented by Zinichev.

Liquidation of consequences

To eliminate the consequences of an emergency, the federal government, together with the Amur Region, Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, as well as the Jewish Autonomous Region, must provide citizens who have lost their housing with housing. Lists of flood-affected citizens will also be compiled.

In addition, Putin instructed to repair the housing affected by the disaster, as well as provide children living in flood areas with the opportunity to continue their studies - including by arranging transportation from their places of residence to educational institutions and vice versa, if necessary.

Federal and regional officials will also have to deal with damage assessment and rehabilitation of affected infrastructure.

The order also concerns the allocation of subsidies to the affected regions, assessment of damage to personal subsidiary plots of citizens and agriculture, and compensation to people who have lost crops in the garden.

Two others are associated with this assignment. The first is to the Ministry of Construction. The agency will have to help the regional authorities to implement the above measures. The second is directed to Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, Yuri Trutnev, to coordinate the work of the Ministry of Construction, other departments and regional authorities.

  • EMERCOM of Russia employees
  • RIA News
  • © Nikolay Khizhnyak

“Visit the affected areas personally”

The heads of regions will have to provide information to all citizens affected by the flood about the places where they will be assisted by October 15, as well as about the procedure for receiving compensation and restoring lost documents.

In a separate paragraph, assistance is allocated in solving the problems of the elderly, disabled, single citizens and persons with disabilities.

Also, the heads of the regions were recommended to visit the affected territories and receive citizens there.

“I ask you to properly instruct subordinates, dear colleagues, responsibly, to properly deliver all the work. And the heads of the regions - personally, without entrusting anyone, to visit the affected areas, see for yourself what’s happening there, talk with people, understand what needs to be done, ”Putin emphasized during the meeting.

Flood in the Far East

Recall that the flood in the Far East began in July 2019 due to heavy rains. The second flood wave occurred in August. According to the Ministry of Emergencies, the situation in the region has recently begun to stabilize. So, Zinichev reported that about 137 settlements in the Khabarovsk Territory and the Jewish Autonomous Region remain flooded.

“In the Khabarovsk Territory and the Jewish Autonomous Region, 137 settlements, more than 800 residential buildings with a population of 2,200 people, over 3,800 household plots, 17 socially significant facilities and 149 road sections remain flooded,” the minister said on September 17.

Almost 45 thousand people were included in the list of flood victims, and another 1.5 thousand were added to the list. Such figures were presented by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Vitaly Mutko at a meeting of the government commission for emergency response.