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Putin Visits Flood Zone, Promise Aid to Rebuild
President Vladimir Putin on Thursday toured a remote Siberia region that has been devastated by floods and promised to find federal funds to help rebuild homes destroyed by the rushing waters.
Putin also said he was prepared to sign a decree authorizing sale of gold and high-quality diamonds from the mineral-rich Yakutia region that belong to the state to help people who had suffered losses, Russian news agencies reported.
Ice jams that have clogged the powerful Lena River have caused it to overflow resulting in a week of misery for residents of towns spread along the inland artery.
"The damage from the floods is enormous," Putin said during a meeting with regional leaders Thursday. "Tens of thousands of people" are affected.
Putin said it was vital "not to lose time." Some 42,000 people had suffered from the flood and it would be necessary to build 10,000 apartments.
Putin blamed the flooding in part on the fact that the river had not been dredged near populated areas in decades.
Meanwhile, NTV television reported that oil and gas from a refinery in the town of Lensk had leaked into the river which could cause serious ecological damage once the ice completely melts.
Financing of repair work is to be discussed in Moscow on May 29, Putin announced.
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