More than 20 consolidated detachments and emergency response groups have been created in the Vitebsk region during the flood period

February 2, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA /. Two consolidated detachments and 20 consolidated groups have been created in the city and district emergency departments in the Vitebsk region to carry out emergency rescue operations and respond to possible floods during the flood period. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by Marina Fando, press secretary of the regional emergency department. Consolidated detachments have been created at the emergency departments in Vitebsk and Novopolotsk. The detachments and groups include almost 300 employees of the emergency departments, as well as about 100 units of equipment, necessary equipment and gear for carrying out emergency rescue and other urgent operations during floods, including a mobile diesel generator and over 70 motor pumps. To ensure a high level of readiness of the region's services and organizations for prompt response to possible incidents during the flood period, the operational management center at the regional emergency department is monitoring the situation, and situational maps of the predicted flood situation for each district and the region as a whole have been developed. Action algorithms have been developed for involving the forces and means of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Defense to carry out blasting operations, as well as aviation equipment of the Vitebsk branch of RUP "Bellesavia" for aviation support of these operations. In order to minimize the consequences of floods in the Polotsk, Miory, Verkhnedvinsk and Liozno districts, blasting operations were carried out on the Western Dvina and Disna rivers to prevent and eliminate ice jams. In February, it is planned to hold a meeting of the regional commission on emergency situations, during which a plan of measures to ensure the accident-free passage of the spring flood of 2011 will be approved. As past experience shows, the main problem regions in the region are Verkhnedvinsk, Miory, Polotsk, Vitebsk, Beshenkovichi and Gorodok districts, where assistance to the population is required during floods and work must be organized to eliminate ice jams on water bodies. During the spring flood of 2010, about 300 residential buildings and almost 480 other buildings in 148 settlements were flooded in the region. About 900 specialists from the emergency departments and other organizations, as well as about 380 units of equipment, were involved in eliminating the consequences of floods and carrying out emergency rescue operations. -0-