Authorities warn of new mudflow threat in Tyrnyauz

The water and gas supply to Tyrnyauz has still not been restored, the Ministry of Emergency Situations warns of the threat of new mudflows.

As "Kavkazsky Uzel" wrote, on August 3, residents of Tyrnyauz stated that the water supply to their homes, which was disrupted after the mudflow, was not restored, contrary to the authorities' statements. The authorities managed to solve the technical problems of the mudflow channel in Tyrnyauz, and the timely notification of the Ministry of Emergency Situations helped to avoid human casualties, however, new technologies for preventing natural disasters in Kabardino-Balkaria are not being introduced, specialists interviewed by "Kavkazsky Uzel" indicated.

Gas and water supply to Tyrnyauz, in particular the Verkhniy and Nizhniy Gerkhozhan neighborhoods, have not been restored as of August 4, while the risk of new mudflows remains. The Ministry of Emergency Situations warns of a storm and other adverse natural phenomena on August 5 and 6, as well as the threat of a repeat mudflow on the city.

Traffic to the city and towards Elbrus region is restricted, tourists and local residents are advised to refrain from traveling to the dangerous area: the damaged bridge support of the federal highway "Prokhladny-Baksan-Elbrus" has not yet been restored, the section of the road is still blocked by mudflow, the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" reported.

The evacuated residents of Tyrnyauz were provided with food and sleeping places in the building of one of the schools in Tyrnyauz and in the sports complex, as well as in the buildings of schools in the villages of Bylym and Kendelen. According to the authorities, the evacuees were provided with medical and psychological assistance.

The head of Kabardino-Balkaria Kazbek Kokov, commenting on the restoration work in Tyrnyauz, said that "the roadway of the central street of the city has been cleared of sediments." “The main goal is to fully restore transport links in the city and throughout its agglomeration,” he wrote, noting that a plan for some “channel regulation measures” has been drawn up in the face of the continuing threat of new mudflows.

A mudflow of the kind that occurred in Tyrnyauz cannot be prevented, noted leading researcher and member of the Academic Council of the High-Mountain Geophysical Institute Mikhail Dokukin. According to the specialist, the only way to minimize damage from the elements is to restore the destroyed mudflow channel.

“If we were talking about a lake, we could carry out coastal protection work, but there is no lake in the upper reaches of Gerkhozhan-Suu. Here, the mudflow is associated with a landslide process that carries out gigantic mud masses,” he explained to a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

Mikhail Dokukin noted that the first mudflow hit Tyrnyauz in 1960, and it happened again in 1961 and 1962. A destructive mudflow also hit Tyrnyauz in 1977, damaging houses.

In 1999, an anti-mudflow dam was built in Tyrnyauz, which was destroyed by a powerful mudflow in 2000. At that time, the city suffered significant damage from the elements: there were dead and missing people, the first floors of several five-story buildings were damaged.

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