6 minutes of Transcaucasian Telegraph.
several dead and missing after rivers flood northern Armenia caused by a clash of cold and hot currents from Siberia and Mediterranean
The water in the Debed River bed rose by 6 meters (another report says 2 meters), said the Veolia Water utility company on Sunday.
3 dead, 2 missing. Several houses were fully destroyed and around a hundred were flooded.
Over 230 people were evacuated in Lori and Tavush provinces and Yerevan. Hundreds of rescuers were dispatched to various locations.
In Akhtala rescuers were able to evacuate a 9-month pregnant woman in time. She gave birth at a nearby hospital in Alaverdi that luckily wasn’t flooded. The mother and child are doing fine.
The bridge in Akhtala connected 7 villages with a total population of 5,500. They need a new solution because the bridge is gone. The government sent heavy equipment to repair an abandoned mountainous road as an alternative route.
11 bridges were partly or fully destroyed, leading to several villages being cut off from other settlements. Authorities said they will use helicopters if necessary to evacuate the residents and supply medication.
Authorities published a list of actions to take before, during, and after floods.
Metsavan’s 5 million m3 water reservoir is completely full so experts were dispatched to release the water as a safety measure. There are also much smaller reservoirs used by hydropowerplants that could pose a danger to nearby areas, said the government, so rescuers and experts were sent to work on them and prevent problems.
As of today, the amount of precipitation in the entire territory of the republic has exceeded the monthly norm and is 180-230% of the norm.
PM Pashinyan visited the flooded areas and formed an operational center to manage the emergency situation. During the first session, the group discussed the restoration of bridges and other primary infrastructures necessary to connect communities to the world, as well as humanitarian and housing issues for the evacuated residents.
The residents were urged not to use the road leading to Bagratashen checkpoint with Georgia because the road was washed out. The railway company suspended trains to and from Georgia; the service will resume when the roads are restored.
The damage to infrastructure amounts to tens of billions of drams. Major damage was done to M6 and M4 interstate highways. The government cooperated with Georgia to re-route the traffic to Gogavan and Bavra.
Power lines, water pipes, and gas pipes were damaged. They are currently unable to assess the damage due to ongoing strong currents.
The water levels were down by 35 cm by late afternoon.
The government is discussing a compensation package for businesses and residents.
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… videos and photos from the disaster zone
moment the river destroys a small bridge in Tavush,
video of residential areas in Tashir
video of Aghstev River destroying part of the Dilijan-Ijevan road
rescuers using a dinghy to reach residents of a condo in Alaverdi,
photos of tractor evacuating tati and residents trapped in condos
Metsavan reservoir is full but the wall is intact,
video of a river and construction crews moving rocks and forming barriers , video
video of Pashinyan visiting disaster area
Video of conversations with locals in flooded communities: video, video, video,
video of interior ministry report about rescue operations,
video of Pashinyan observing the river in Tavush video,
drone video of the flood,
Tashir residents showing Pashinyan the damage,
River Aghstev in Ijevan-Lusadzor,
heavy hail and rain in Yerevan
Alaverdi residents’ interviews and street floods,
the map of the major roads closed for traffic and alternatives you can use,
international response to Sunday floods
UNITED KINGDOM: We stand in solidarity with the residents of Lori and Tavush regions affected by the floods. We extend our condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives. We are closely monitoring the situation and recognise the efforts of the Armenian authorities at this time.
RUSSIA: We sincerely offer our condolences to the fraternal Armenian people in regard to the natural disaster that struck the Republic, and we wish the victims a speedy recovery. We stand ready to provide support.
UNITED STATES: The U.S. Embassy expresses its heartfelt sympathy with Armenia and its people following the deadly floods in Lori and Tavush.
interview with weather tsar Surenyan
REPORTER: What can you tell us about this cyclone and where are the main active zones?
SURENYAN: This year May started with active cyclones. Most of them came from the west and Mediterranean basin. You may recall the heavy rain and hail in Yerevan and other parts of Armenia in the first weeks of May.
On May 24 we issued a special warning that a new cycle was approaching that would bring heavy precipitation. This one came from the Mediterranean on the evening of May 24.
Yesterday this warm Mediterranean current collided with a colder current from Siberia and became much stronger. Very intense rains were observed in Lori and Tavush on Saturday between 4 pm to midnight. Intense hail was observed in Armavir, Aragatsotn, and Kotayk. Yerevan was also struck with heavy rain and unprecedented strong thunders.
REPORTER: When was the last time this amount of water was observed in Debed?
SURENYAN: May of 1959, when the river carried 750 m3/second of water. Today we witnessed the second-highest amount, at 650 m3/second.
REPORTER: Are the river’s water levels down as of this evening?
SURENYAN: Thankfully the cyclone is weakening and so are the rains. We have observed some reduction of levels in Aghstev and Debed. There were no rains today and we don’t anticipate Saturday-like heavy rains again, so we expect a gradual reduction of levels.
REPORTER: What to expect in the coming days?
SURENYAN: The cycle is losing its power and as we speak, the rains are getting weaker in various regions. Between May 27 to 31, we won’t have rains brought by the cycle but we do expect weaker rains to form locally within Armenia. They will be short. Expect them in the late evening and early night in various regions.
The temperatures are expected to significantly rise, by 4-6 degrees, until May 30. In the heavily affected areas, it will rise by 7-10 degrees.
Georgia was also dealing with floods
video from an unknown location,
video of River Vere in Tbilisi,
15 villages were "isolated from the world" in southern Georgia, near the border with Armenia. The River Alazani on the GE-AZ border caused damage to nearby villages.
show must go on
The former regime held its much anticipated mega-rally on May 26 attended by patriots from around the world.
“The agenda will go ahead”
The protest co-organizer Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan angered the H1 host Petros Ghazaryan and others by describing the planned Sunday rally as "the most important job" and urging his followers to "focus on it"amid deaths and destruction caused by the severe floods in northern Armenia. Galstanyan later held a moment of silence for those who lost their lives and urged his supporters in affected areas to stay and help others instead of visiting his rally in Yerevan.
During the Republic Square gathering they again gave Pashinyan an ultimatum. "This is your last chance," said the organizers. "You don’t have much time."
The ex-regime went on to nominate Archbishop Galstanyan, a dual citizen of Canada, as their candidate for Prime Minister. Galstanyan will "freeze" his service in the church. As for the constitutional requirement that a PM cannot be a dual citizen, Galstanyan said they will act "lawfully" and will use "all possible means". Under the Constitution, the PM must be a citizen of only Armenia for at least 4 years to qualify for the position. It’s unclear how the opposition plans to overcome this barrier.
Anywhere between 23,000 to 100,000 people attended the rally, depending on the source. Russian state media reported over 100,000 people. The Informed Citizens NGO cast doubt on that number. At 5:12pm, an hour after the scheduled launch, they counted 23,100 people and released the aerial footage here.
The NGO said they have information that several Russian-owned companies pressured their employees to join the rally. The information was given to the authorities as it is a crime in Armenia to bribe or pressure employees to join rallies.
Galstanyan led his followers towards Pashinyan’s residency under the tune of "We Are the Champions" and other music, and demanded to speak with the PM. The PM’s Deputy Chief of Staff called it a "provocation" and said: "The Prime Minister has been in the disaster zone since early morning. [Archbishop] Vazgen [Bagrat] Galstanyan who is marching to the government residency knows this well."
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https://old.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/1d19vyr/what_happened_on_sunday_may_26_tt_news/
Posted by ar_david_hh
2 Comments
Apparently they will be blocking the roads tomorrow, again. How do you call people who block the roads “in protest” knowing that the entire North of the country is a disaster zone right now?
> Pashinyan convincing residents of a condo surrounded by water to leave. They said they were fine and only needed electricity.
Funny how Pashinyan switches to his Ijevan accent whenever he goes up North. Same with Kirants the other day.