Authorities: Flood water level in Kherson Oblast drops to less than 2 meters
As of 10 a.m. local time on June 15, the flood water level in Kherson Oblast has decreased to 1.98 meters, according to the regional administration.
Following the Kakhovka dam disaster, 44 settlements in Kherson Oblast remain underwater, reads the report. Twenty-seven are located on the Ukrainian-controlled west bank of the Dnipro River and 17 on the Russian-occupied east bank.
Regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported that 1923 homes on the west bank of the Dnipro River are still flooded, but it’s 150 less than on June 14 evening. As soon as the water recedes, Ukrainian authorities start restoration works, demining, surveying, and cleaning.
According to Prokudin, 2,782 people have been evacuated from the affected settlements on the west bank, including 309 children and 80 people with limited mobility.
“From the first day of the (Kakhovka dam) disaster, the evacuation took place under the fire of the Russian army,” the governor said, mentioning the June 14 mortar attack on Kherson that injured two volunteers helping to evacuate civilians.
The dam of the Russian-occupied Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in Kherson Oblast was destroyed on June 6, causing massive floods across southern Ukraine.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Russian forces blew up the dam to prevent Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
Francis Farrell
