Emergency response situation headquarters have been established in all districts of the Vitebsk region

March 1, Vitebsk / Sergey Kotov - BELTA /. Situational headquarters for responding to possible emergencies caused by flooding have been created in all cities and districts of the Vitebsk region, the regional Emergency Situations Ministry department informed a BELTA correspondent. The creation of headquarters is envisaged by the plan of measures to ensure accident-free spring flood passage, approved in the region. The main task of such operational groups is to develop management decisions for the prevention and liquidation of possible emergencies. Currently, all forces and resources of the region's services and organizations, including water-pumping equipment and watercraft, have been brought to full readiness to respond to possible incidents during the flood. A reserve of material resources has been created, necessary both for providing the population in areas of possible flooding and for eliminating the consequences of flooding. Surveys of the most vulnerable sections of roads, as well as bridges and dams, and hydraulic structures have been carried out. Issues of involving engineering units of the Ministry of Defense to assist in breaking up ice fields during the flood have been coordinated with military administration bodies. Information on the flood development in the region is carried out from 21 hydrological posts of the State Institution "Vitebskoblgidromet". If necessary, aviation equipment of the Vitebsk branch of RUP "Bellesavia" will be involved for aerial reconnaissance of the flood situation. The beginning of the spring flood is predicted for the second half of March. The rivers in the region have not yet broken up from ice. According to data from the end of February, the water levels in the rivers of the Western Dvina basin are mainly stable with minor daily fluctuations. The ice thickness reaches 40 cm, and in some sections of the rivers, it is even thicker. In total, 790 houses with a population of about 2.3 thousand people in 17 settlements, mainly in Vitebsk, Orsha, Polotsk, and the Verkhnedvinsk district, may be affected by flooding from flood and melt waters. In addition, a number of livestock farming agricultural facilities may be flooded. 27 facilities (schools, dormitories, sanatoriums) are being prepared to receive evacuated people, and accommodation in hotels, recreation centers, and reserve housing stock is also provided if necessary. Rural outpatient clinics have been equipped with an additional supply of medicines. Increased attention is paid to explanatory work among the population living in the zone of potential flooding. -0-