Severe Floods In Soviet City

Press, Volume C, Issue 29518, 20 May 1961, Page 9

Severe Floods In Soviet City

(N.Z-P.A.-Reuter— Copyright) MOSCOW, May 18. Half the area of the city of Archangel was under water after severe flooding of the northern Dvina, the Soviet news agency, Tass, reported today.

Immediate assistance by the Air Force and ice-breakers prevented the flood from spreading further. Tass said. The flooding arose from ice blockages at the river mouth preventing the flow of water from the river into the White Sea at 'Archangel. The blockage was cleared by Air Force bombing and by two powerful icebreakers.

At another point, soldiers were landed by helicopter to break up the ice and force it out to sea. Tass said. The ice pile-ups were in bends in the river, but after prompt action by the Air Force and the icebreakers the water level had started to fall again. By last night the river had flooded more than half the area of the city. Two industrial areas of

Archangel. Isakogorsky and Solombalsky. suffered particularly badly. Many factories had to stop work. Transport came to a halt and telephone communications were interrupted. The ice has been breaking up and flowing with extraordinary speed this year, the agency said. About 100 miles upstream from Archangel the floes massed together to form a wall 50 feet high.

After this had been mined, the rush of water and ice resulted in the estuary of the river becoming blocked. Thousands of workers, sailors and soldiers were mobilised into special brigades to fight the floods. Blocks of ice mixed with timber filmed a 50-foot-high wall near Orletsy. a village, about 90 miles from Archangel.

After a powerful explosion cleared a channel in the area the mass of ice raced to Archangel. In a few hours all arms of the north Dvina, except one. were jammed with ice and the water began to rise swiftly.