​Emergency response center was summoned at 2 o'clock at night

By Zulfiya Bainekeeva

According to Emergency Situations Department data as of May 12 in Atyrau 42 houses got waterlogged due to heavy rainfall. No victims reported, 123 people have been evacuated.

Emergency meetings aimed at organization of work for elimination of consequences of bad weather are ongoing in the Mayor's office from 2 o'clock at night. The coordination centre has been established. The Mayor Nurlybek Ozhaev instructed the municipal companies of the city, special units of emergency department to assist in pumping rain water from the yards of the flooded houses.

– That is a priority task and therefore all forces have been thrown to pump water from the private sector houses that were mostly affected by heavy rain. Water has been pumped out from 58 houses, - said by phone the head of emergency situations department of Atyrau Oblast Sagynbek Umirzakov. – We drove around the city from 6:00am in the morning. Mayor Ozhayev divided the city into sectors and set specific tasks. Mainly yards have been waterlogged, not houses.

Citizens have been temporarily evacuated to schools No. 30, 2, 27, 15 and they were provided with hot meals. Their property is moved to a safe place. All families from 8 apartments who lived on the first floor of the block on 128 Azattyk Ave. have been evacuated. The two-storeyed house is not suitable for living. People were given temporary shelters and the issue of their future accommodation will be resolved.

Over 60 units of vacuum cars, motor-pumps, all fire fighting equipment are currently engaged in emergency activities. We think that until evening we will manage to pump out all water in private sector and all forces will be thrown for pumping water from city roads.

No reason for panic and the situation is under control, - said Umirzakov.

Emergency situations department has circulated the following press release: "During the period from May 12 (from 8:00 pm) till May 13 (till 8:00pm) in Atyrau Oblast patchy intermittent rains and thunder-storms are expected with fogs during the night and in the morning. Southern wind with the velocity of 9-14 m/s., temperature during the night will be 10-15 degrees C, in some areas – 7. During the day the temperature is expected to be - 15-20 degrees C, in some areas – 23 degrees C.

In Atyrau: partly cloudy, rain during the night. Southern wind with the velocity- 9-14 m/s. Temperature at night - 11-13 degrees C, in the afternoon - 16-18 degrees C".