Consequences of the hurricane in Belarus on July 3. A real hurricane swept through Belarus this week. The strongest winds
Natural disasters are becoming increasingly common throughout the world, and Belarus is no exception. Thanks to the flat landscape and temperate climate, there are no serious earthquakes or destructive hurricanes in our country. Nevertheless, disasters of greater or lesser destructive force happen to us from time to time.
We have compiled a selection of the most serious weather disasters that have occurred in the republic over the past 30 years, and also provided information on the damage caused. Hail the size of a chicken egg fell in the Brest region in June 2011. The anomalous phenomenon destroyed gardens and thousands of hectares of grain crops in the Gantsevichi region in 20 minutes. 161 residential buildings, 22 agricultural facilities, a school, a kindergarten and a cultural center were damaged.
Three farms in the district - Dubnyaki, Krishilovichi and Agronacha - suffered serious material damage.
There are no statistics on the amount of damage caused by the disaster.
In the same year in Belarus there was severe drought. In some regions there was no precipitation for 40 days. As a result of anomalous drought in most of the Gomel region, in the southern part and in the east of Minsk, in places in the Brest, Mogilev and Vitebsk regions of Belarus, damage to cereal grain crops, rapeseed and flax was noted. Squally winds, turning into hurricanes are not uncommon for Belarus. In 2007, a powerful hurricane “Kirill” hit Europe, which also affected 2,088 Belarusian settlements, 1,890 were without power.
There are no serious floods in Belarus as such, but large-scale floods occur approximately every five years. One of the most significant in recent decades was the spring flood of 1999. Then 49 districts of the republic were affected, more than 7,000 residential buildings were flooded.
According to the weather forecast department, the damage of the summer flood caused by heavy rainfall in Belarus in 1994 amounted to $100 million.
Another element that annually causes serious damage, first of all, to the ecology and forest resources of the region is forest fires. The Forest Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus calculated that the annual damage caused by fires is about 900 thousand dollars.
The largest number of forest fires occurred in the republic, according to Belstat, in 2006, when the total area of the territory engulfed in fire reached 2,508 hectares. In total, 3,252 fires occurred in 2006.
Unfortunately, statistics on damage caused by natural disasters to the national economy and industry are not kept in Belarus. The Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that the National Statistics Committee is collecting such data.
Belstat, in turn, responded to a corresponding request that natural disasters bypass blue-eyed Belarus, and therefore there is no need to maintain statistics as such.
However, they admit that the elements also strike our country from time to time. Anything can become the object of destruction and damage - from a vehicle to a person’s life.
Therefore, despite the statistical committee’s conviction that there are no natural disasters, Belarusians should take care of their own safety and the safety of their property themselves. After all, as they say, saving drowning people is the work of the drowning people themselves.
Literally…
The biggest elements:
Hail in the Brest region, 2011. Damaged: 161 residential buildings, 22 agricultural facilities, a school, a kindergarten and a House of Culture in the Gantsevichi district, thousands of hectares of grain crops were destroyed in three farms in the region - “Dubnyaki”, “Krishilovichi” and “Agronacha” .
Hurricane Kirill, 2007. 2,088 Belarusian settlements were affected, 1,890 were without power.
Flood, 1999. 49 districts were damaged, over 7,000 residential buildings were flooded. Damage is estimated at $100 million.
Forest fires, 2006. The total area of the territory affected by fire is 2,508 hectares.
In the 20th century, Belarus rarely suffered from the devastating consequences of storms, tornadoes and hurricanes. But in recent years, warnings from the Ministry of Emergency Situations about the orange danger level have been published more and more often. Gismeteo has prepared information about the most powerful hurricanes in Belarus.
Reference. Hurricanes are tropical cyclones that form over the ocean as a result of the interaction of cold atmospheric masses with warm and humid ones. During hurricanes, wind speeds reach more than 30 m/s. Forecasters classify “weaker” storms as storms.
Summer storms in 2016 and 2017 caused severe damage
A powerful storm passed through Minsk, Vitebsk and many other regions on July 11-13, 2016. The cities were hit by heavy rain, accompanied by heavy winds (up to 25 m/s).
578 settlements and about 10 hectares of forest were affected by the disaster, Gismeteo experts note. The storm caused damage to hundreds of agricultural and industrial facilities, damaged the roofs of residential buildings, turned streets into rivers and even collided planes at the capital's airport. Several dozen people were injured.
A year later, Belarus was again subjected to the devastating effects of a storm. At the end of June 2017, a powerful thunderstorm front passed over the Minsk, Brest and Grodno regions. The thunderstorm brought showers and strong gusty winds (up to 22 m/s).
The storm raged for 24 hours, so there was less damage than in 2016. The storm resulted in 58 fallen trees, 56 damaged roofs, hundreds of houses without power and several destroyed agricultural buildings. The consequences of the storm were recorded in 11 settlements.
Belarus is rarely exposed to strong hurricanes due to its geographical location. For a significant part of the year, the weather informer shows low wind speed - no more than 3.1 m/s. The city of Novogrudok is considered the windiest: here the wind speed often reaches 4 m/s.
The most powerful hurricanes rage in North and South America, and faint echoes of these elements “reach” Belarus. But they also bring a lot of trouble. Thus, in 2007, the country suffered from the weakening hurricane Kirill, which left houses in 1,890 settlements without electricity. And in 2005, the subsiding Hurricane Katrina damaged wires in Minsk and many other cities.
Tornadoes in Belarus
Meteorologists even periodically record tornadoes. Previously, this phenomenon was rare - only 1 case in 2 years. Recently, atmospheric vortices with a diameter and height of up to 1000 meters appear 1-2 times a year.
The most destructive tornado occurred over the village of Sharkovshchina in June 2016. The tornado injured three people and received injuries of varying severity. The whirlwind left 2 villages without electricity, damaged 20 roofs and broke 3 calf sheds.
Quite often, tornadoes are recorded in the Gomel region. In 2017 and 2015, relatively weak eddies formed here. The most devastating consequences were caused by a tornado in July 2009.
The strongest winds
The record wind speed for Belarus of 40 m/s was recorded twice by the weather station in the city of Dokshitsy - in 1967 and 1969. The same indicators were noted in other settlements - in Sharkovshchina (1969), Ivantsevichi (1961) and Slutsk (1951). In Minsk, the strongest wind blew in 1955: gusts reached 28 m/s.
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On the evening of June 23, 1997, an incredible hurricane of incredible force burst into Belarus from the direction of Ukraine. The storm raged for only 7 minutes, but left behind colossal destruction. We talked about this for a long time.
Unpredictable element
“Unfortunately, it was not possible to obtain information about the onset of the hurricane in time. Such natural phenomena are, in principle, very difficult to predict,” ecologist Leonid Chumakov analyzes the arrival of the storm. – The main sign of a hurricane is a sharp change in temperature. And, indeed, that day there was a jump from 16°C to 31°C! But it was no longer possible to influence the situation. Moreover, the first blow fell on the communication lines.”
Hurricane coming
Eyewitnesses said: “The black cloud flew from the sky like an airplane.” The storm raged for about 7 minutes, but this was enough for Monday, June 23, to be called “black.” The wind speed that evening reached 30 m/s, in the Gantsevichi region - up to 32 m/s, the amount of precipitation was equal to the average monthly norm - up to 60 mm.
Natalia Yelyashevich, a native resident of the village of Khotova, Stolbtsovsky district, recalls: “... the storm was incredibly powerful. The children hid under the table out of fear; it was scary to even look out the window.” Stanislav Chernyavsky, who was not afraid to pull back the curtain at that time, saw “how two black whirlwinds united into one, walked with a crash across the field and separated again.” In the surrounding villages, residents said that one family’s horse, tied in a field, was blown away forever by the wind.
From the material of the newspaper “Evening Minsk” (06.25.1997, No. 118): « Ratomka, a village ten kilometers from Minsk, was not spared by the hurricane. Local boys played football on one of the show jumping fields of the Republican Center for Equestrian Sports and Horse Breeding. When it started to rain, they hid under the roof of a small building for judges and commentators. Teenagers passing by also ran in. Suddenly, a sharp gust of wind lifted the poorly secured roof, and bricks fell from the walls with a roar. The children ran away in fear. It was at these seconds that the roof was finally thrown to the ground towards the doorway. Viktor Ushakov, who lived next door, was the first to hear the cries for help. He began to save children. The former Afghan freed 14-year-old Pasha Kuprienko from the collapse, who was unconscious - with a broken head and obvious fractures of the pelvic bones. Neighbors arrived and helped pull out Tamara Bulanda, who had a broken leg. Half an hour later an ambulance arrived from Borovlyany and Ratomka. 18-year-old Sasha Brudsky is unconscious in the intensive care unit of a regional hospital...”
Consequences of the 7-minute invasion
The losses, human and material, were significant. A few days later, information was received about 5 deaths, about 50 people were hospitalized. In the Minsk region, 2,327 residential buildings and 262 industrial enterprises were damaged. The Brest region lost about 50% of power lines, hundreds of villages were left without power. Small settlements also suffered losses: in the village of Molodovo, Ivanovo district alone, 265 houses were damaged, and the dome of an Orthodox church was knocked out.
Leonid Chumakov describes what he saw this way: “I found myself in one of the most affected areas - Volozhinsky. While inspecting the areas, I was extremely struck by two things. Firstly, how 2 houses were destroyed in one of the villages near Volozhin: their roofs were not torn off - neither logs nor bricks were lying around. It seemed that someone from above put pressure on them - so they came together like houses of cards. Then, when I got to the Stolbtsovsky district, I saw hectares of forest where the trees seemed to have been cut with a razor: 2/3 of the trunk remained, but the crown was gone. It cannot be that the wind cuts off all the pines at the same height. I have never encountered such anomalies again; neither I nor my colleagues have ever found a reasonable explanation for this.”
In addition, agricultural crops were severely damaged on an area of 70 thousand hectares, and the forest fund and processing industry suffered serious damage. Traffic in many directions was paralyzed: fallen trees blocked roads and railways. Throughout the country there was a shortage of fuel, cable lines, and building materials. To restore houses in the Ivatsevichi district alone, about 80,000 sheets of slate were urgently needed.
From Leonid Chumakov’s analysis of the environmental situation: “In general, the 90s turned out to be rich in anomalies; we can remember the drought in 1992, the Polesie flood in 1993, the hurricane in 1997, and finally the eclipse in 1999. It seems to me that the reasons for all these negative phenomena originate in the 60s of the last century, when more carbon dioxide, methane, sulfur, and nitrous oxide began to enter the atmosphere. Large-scale land reclamation in Belarus occurred at the same time. Rapid climate change began in our country in 1988; apparently, in the 90s we reached some kind of critical point, which is why all of the above cataclysms happened.”
Political reaction
The President was vacationing in Sochi at that time. The very next day, the press service of the head of state reported a telephone conversation between Alexander Lukashenko and Chairman of the Council of Ministers Sergei Ling. Among other things, they talked about the hurricane. Lukashenko sent telegrams to the relatives of the victims. Although he shortened his visit to Russia, he decided not to cancel his planned trip to the Krasnodar region. For which he was criticized by the opposition. Upon returning, the president nevertheless went to the affected areas and met with local residents.
Shoigu's arrival and international assistance
Leonid Chumakov recalls: “On June 25, Russian Minister of Emergency Situations Sergei Shoigu arrived in Belarus. I myself worked for the Yeltsin government in the early 90s, dealing with Chernobyl issues. Shoigu was a young minister in 1997, I don’t think he could have much influence on the current situation. They promised that Russia would help with construction materials and equipment.”
The next day, at a briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the decision was announced not to apply for international assistance, but if any state decides to take the initiative, not to refuse. Oddly enough, the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic was one of the first to offer assistance, joined by Italy, China and Kyrgyzstan.
Postponement of holidays
The hurricane destroyed the weekend too. To raise additional funds to help the victims, the Council of Ministers announced a cleanup day on July 28 and 29. But the celebrations of Republic Day and the 930th anniversary of the city of Minsk were promised to be held on a grand scale and last 4 days, from July 3 to 6. The Belarusian Popular Front and the Social Democrats immediately opposed this policy, calling large-scale public festivities “plague festivities.” “Veskakh has a mountain, Minsku has a holy one,” wrote Svoboda. The total damage from the hurricane was estimated at 1-1.5 trillion. rubles At the same time, about 50 billion rubles were spent on the improvement of Minsk before the holiday alone; the cost of the military parade was not leaked to the press at all.
On July 13, a thunderstorm front swept through most of our country, bringing with it a destructive storm. About some consequences of the disaster strike on Minsk website on Wednesday online. On Thursday it became clear that the scale of damage from the attack of the heavenly office was much more impressive and it was not only the capital that suffered.
There were two damages to the low-pressure air gas pipeline in the village of Lutskovlyany, Grodno region and in Minsk on the street. Chizhevskikh.
“On the territory of the Minsk National Airport on the ground, there is damage to industrial buildings and ground support facilities for aircraft”, - says the message of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
According to the Minsk National Airport, five aircraft received “minor damage in the form of dents and scratches from fragments of torn structures”, three ships received "more severe damage".
“Two of them collided in the parking lot, one light aircraft was overturned and received significant damage.”, the message said. A special commission worked on the spot to clarify the circumstances and severity of the damage.
Due to difficult weather conditions, three aircraft were redirected to alternate airfields (two to Gomel, one to Vilnius). All planes later arrived in Minsk.
As a result of heavy precipitation in the form of rain in Minsk, Grodno and the Grodno region, as well as in Novogrudok, Grodno region and Dzerzhinsky district, Minsk region, 8 private farmsteads, the basements of five multi-storey residential buildings, as well as the Grodno regional cardiological clinic were flooded.
Flood in Minsk.
In the capital, 45 sections of roads were flooded and 28 public transport stops were recorded (maximum time 1.5 hours).
In addition to the flooding of roads in Minsk, 68 traffic light facilities were disabled.
According to the Hydrometeorological Center of the Republic, during the rain that hit Minsk in the afternoon of July 13, 24 mm of precipitation fell. 24 mm of precipitation corresponds to 24 liters of water per square meter of territory. The July precipitation norm for the capital is 90 mm. Thus, in a short time, more than a quarter of the monthly norm fell - 26.7%.
However, Minsk, judging by those published on the portal Onliner.by The photographs, as strange as it may sound, were lucky yesterday. A tornado with hail hit the Tolochinsky district. Moreover, the size of the hailstones exceeded the parameters of a chicken egg!
“All the cars have broken windows. People's houses had their windows broken, and some had their frames blown out,- said an eyewitness. - Someone's glass windows were cracked. Roofs with holes the size of fists... Some had their slates blown off. There is no mobile connection for several hours.".
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, as a result of gusty winds that passed through the Vitebsk region today from 16:00 to 17:00, damage was recorded to the roofs of about 30 residential buildings, as well as to the roofs in the Dubrovenskaya Central District Hospital.
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Consequences of the storm in Grodno.
The largest quantity was recorded in Novogrudok - 43 mm, or 43 liters of water per square meter of territory. This is 47% of the July norm, which is 91 mm for the regional center.
In Lida, slightly less precipitation fell - 39 mm, but this is exactly half the monthly volume (78 mm).
36 mm of precipitation was recorded in Vileika (Minsk region) - 42% of the norm (85 mm). In the capital, 24 mm fell - 27% of the norm (90 mm).
Meanwhile, in the Gomel and Mogilev regions, where the front reached only in the evening, temperature records for the day were recorded. It was hottest in Vasilevichy - 34.7 degrees. In this locality of the Gomel region, the maximum of 65 years ago (34.5 degrees Celsius) has been updated. In Zhlobin the air warmed up to 34.4 degrees (32.2 in 2006), in Bobruisk - to 34.1 (32.4 in 2006). In Zhitkovichi it was 34.3 degrees, but here the record for the day stood (35.3 in 1951).
To eliminate the consequences of flooding, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and emergency crews of housing and communal services were involved.
Due to a power outage of contact lines, 26 train stops occurred. The delay time ranged from 15 minutes to 2 hours 35 minutes. At 22.00 train traffic was restored to normal.
At 15.15, a message was received about an emergency power outage at the Ostrovy water intake in the village of Plebantsy, Minsk region. Consumers in the Leninsky, Zavodsky, Oktyabrsky and Partizansky districts of the capital were left without water supply. At 00.30 on July 14, water supply to all consumers was restored.
According to GPO Belenergo, from 6.00 on July 13 to 6.00 on July 14, 1,126 settlements and 141 agricultural buildings were de-energized throughout the country. Outages are resolved by emergency crews. As of 6.00 on July 14, 187 settlements and 12 agricultural buildings remain without power supply.
Emergency crews are carrying out restoration work. The Ministry of Emergency Situations is constantly monitoring changes in the situation.
Not all the consequences of yesterday's storm have been eliminated, and, meanwhile, on July 14 we may face another rampant disaster. Forecasters predict thunderstorms across most of Belarus and Minsk. During thunderstorms in some places across the country there will be squally wind gusts of up to 15-20 meters per second, hail in some areas, and heavy downpours in the west. In the southeast of the country, the maximum air temperature will reach +30 +34°C. An orange alert level has been declared.
May God help us survive these frequent storms :)
Over the past decade, Belarus has been passing the test of strength in the literal sense. The country was hit by a series of hurricanes with severe thunderstorms and rain.
Gusts of wind broke and uprooted century-old trees, moved planes at the airport, and destroyed villages. Streams of water flooded the streets, basements of houses, cars, turning the Belarusian capital into Venice. Internet users joked bitterly: expect city excursions - kayaking along the Nemiga. Old-timers assured that all sorts of things had happened in Sineokaya, but this was the first time they had seen anything like this. We asked the chief forecaster of the Hydrometeorological Forecast Service of the Republican Center for Hydrometeorology, Radioactive Pollution Control and Environmental Monitoring, Svetlana Rybakova, to comment on the situation.
- Svetlana, the old-timers are right - has the Belarusian climate changed in recent years?
- Since 1989 (the beginning of the warming period), the average annual air temperature has generally exceeded the climate norm, and 2015 was the warmest for the entire observation period. The average air temperature in the Republic of Belarus over the past year was +8.5°C, which is 2.7°C above the climate norm.
- What disasters is the weather susceptible to?
- I would like to remind you that the concept of “cataclysm” means a sharp change (in nature, society), a destructive revolution, a catastrophe. I hope that cataclysms do not threaten us. But unfavorable and even dangerous weather conditions cannot be avoided. Strong winds, snowfalls, blizzards, ice, and in summer active thunderstorm activity and associated hail, heavy downpours and squalls can cause a lot of trouble. This is exactly what we observed in Minsk last Wednesday.
- How accurately can the Center predict “weather vagaries” in the country?
- It is most difficult in the summer to predict adverse events associated with thunderstorm activity - this is due to their locality.
- Where did tornadoes and storms come from in Belarus? Why do they happen?
- Although a tornado is a rather rare phenomenon for Belarus, it is not something unique. Tornadoes have been reported across the country before. Simply due to its locality, this phenomenon did not always come to the attention of observers. Recently, there have been an average of 1–2 tornadoes per year. Due to technical capabilities, such phenomena are more often recorded on video cameras.
A tornado is an atmospheric vortex that arises under a well-developed cumulonimbus cloud, spreading in the form of a giant dark cloud column or funnel towards the surface of the earth or sea. The diameter of the tornado over the water surface is about 100 meters, over land - up to 1000. Its height is about 1000 meters. In America, waterspouts over land are called tornadoes. It is believed that tornadoes are a larger phenomenon compared to tornadoes, although the nature of their formation is the same.
Tornadoes are observed mainly on hot summer days in very unstable air masses of tropical origin. With sufficient moisture, squally winds, hail, and even tornadoes can occur locally. And if a tornado hits a populated area, disaster cannot be avoided. By the way, I remember well the tornado in June 2009 in the Gomel region, which also brought a lot of trouble.
In Sharkovshchina, a tornado was observed on July 11, when very warm air from the Mediterranean Sea began to enter the territory of Belarus. In the north of the country, it met with cooler air, which led to the rapid development of powerful cumulonimbus clouds up to 14–15 kilometers high, under which this tornado formed.
- Is it true that the Minsk cloud, for example, formed very quickly and disappeared just as quickly?
- On July 13, a very active cold atmospheric front with powerful cumulonimbus clouds up to 15 kilometers high moved through the territory of Belarus. This front shifted quite quickly, and the western and southwestern areas of the city were the first to fall under its attack, and in the east of Minsk it weakened a little. And, despite the heavy rain, the wind there was much weaker. But outside the city, he again gained strength, and the Smolevichi region came under his attack.
- What are the first signs of a hurricane, tornado, tornado? And how can an ordinary person identify them and protect himself, his loved ones and his property?
- In summer, the rapid development of powerful cumulonimbus clouds is the first sign of deteriorating weather: it suddenly gets dark during the day, and the wind increases sharply. Most often, before the onset of heavy rain or hail, the wind speed quickly increases. The greatest danger is when a cloud funnel begins to form under a cumulus cloud and descend towards the ground. You need to find reliable shelter in buildings as quickly as possible. And you shouldn’t disregard weather forecasts and warnings about adverse events given by weather forecasters!
Disaster Protection
Recently, hurricanes and heavy tropical downpours have become commonplace for Belarusians. Atypical summer weather persists, causing not only people to suffer, but also their property. The storm that swept through Minsk on July 13 caused a lot of damage, an example of which was the damage to eight aircraft at the National Airport and many residential buildings. The consequences of thunderstorms, squally winds, hail and downpours force citizens to increasingly turn to insurance companies for help.
According to the rules, natural disasters include strong wind (including squall, tornado, hurricane), hail, heavy rain, heavy snowfall, severe frost, extreme heat, high water level (during floods, floods, congestion, floods), lightning strike , earthquake, collapse, landslide, as well as other dangerous natural phenomena, which, due to their intensity, scale of distribution and duration, can cause damage to the property of citizens. If there is an agreement, then insurance companies cover damage from the listed phenomena.
Andrey Kapusta, head of the department for insurance of property interests of citizens, spoke about how natural disasters affect the work of Belgosstrakh.
- Lately, people have been turning to us very often. After the hurricane, which occurred in the Minsk and Vitebsk regions, 3,800 reports of property damage have already been received. In this regard, we are actively working until late at night. I think that statements will be received this week as well.
When asked how Belgosstrakh covers the costs of damage caused by natural disasters, Andrei Vyacheslavovich said that certain amounts are allocated for restoration - they depend on the damage, or repair work already completed is paid for. It has been established that losses will exceed 2 million BYN, before denomination it is 20 billion.
- We have more than twenty insurance companies in our country. Specifically, Belgosstrakh has compulsory insurance, which covers almost a million contracts, and voluntary insurance – 700 thousand contracts. They insure houses, property and apartments (although they are less exposed to danger from natural disasters). After the hurricane, strong winds blew off the roofs of many private homes, and people are turning to us for help. Somewhere trees fall and destroy buildings - in these cases, the insurance system will also help the victims - emphasized Andrey Kapusta.
Tatyana Busel Forest tragedy
More than 10 thousand hectares of forests were damaged by hurricanes in Belarus in recent days. This was announced by Minister of Forestry Mikhail Amelyanovich during a visit to the Smolevichi forestry enterprise in the Minsk region, which was most affected by the hurricane.
“This is the largest disaster in the entire history of forestry in Belarus. Unprecedented destruction has been caused to forestry. According to preliminary estimates, a total of more than 3 million cubic meters were damaged,” - the minister specified.
The Berezinsky, Dzerzhinsky, Minsky, Smolevichi, Chervensky districts of the Minsk region and the Mozyr district of the Gomel region suffered seriously from the hurricane.
Forestry enterprises are intensively eliminating the consequences of natural “negatives”. “The main task is to remove the wood in a short time and prepare sites for new forests. By the end of the year, we will develop accessible areas, and by March 1, 2017, we must deal with hard-to-reach areas,” said the head of the department.
At the same time, the State Environmental Inspectorate will strengthen control over the transportation of wood. This is one of the tasks for the second half of the year set for the employees of the State Inspectorate. “The shadow use of forest resources cannot be allowed, including due to the massive removal of trees damaged after the hurricane,” the State Inspectorate emphasized. Sad results
According to updated data from the Ministry of Emergency Situations, due to the passage of a thunderstorm front and wind gusts (up to 21 m/s) from July 11 to 13, Minsk, Grodno and 578 settlements in 42 districts of Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk and Mogilev regions were damaged. The roofs of 1,011 residential buildings (654 have already been restored), 25 social and cultural facilities (20 have been restored), 18 industrial buildings (12 have been restored) and 278 agricultural buildings (135 have been restored) have been damaged. 40 people sought medical help at health care institutions, 11 of them were hospitalized (at 06:00 on July 18, 6 more injured people remained in health care institutions). Reliability from roof to foundation
The hurricanes that swept over Belarus damaged not only advertising structures and roofs of residential buildings, but also various objects, including industrial and agricultural buildings. Why did building structures not withstand the natural elements? And should climatic and natural conditions be taken into account during construction? We turned to specialists for an answer.
- It is difficult to give a general answer as to why the buildings were damaged by the hurricane. Who is to blame - nature or man, who may have made a mistake in calculations during design or decided to save on materials during construction? Each case must be examined separately. But it is obvious that before building a house or other object, it is necessary to carefully and without fail study and take into account the natural and climatic conditions of the construction area. They will have a significant impact on making the right engineering decisions when planning a site, developing a safe design for a future home and construction technology. After all, there are no trifles in construction!- said Alexander Sukhikh, Deputy General Director for Construction of Stroytrest No. 7 OJSC.
The head of the design and technological department of the State Enterprise Minskreklama, Sergei Vlasenko, also agrees with him:
- Current building codes and regulations allow calculations to be made based on the minimum load that an advertising structure must withstand. The choice of materials, the size of the shield foundation, the manufacturing and installation technology of the structure and other work depend on these and other indicators. Strong winds and the past hurricane indicate that the time has come to revise some standards and calculations. And today, when developing a facility, our customers deliberately increase the wind load on the structure, making it three or even four times safer. Of course, this requires additional financial expenses, but a stingy person pays twice.
I assume that one of the reasons for advertising structures damaged by the storm was the desire of both designers and private firms to make them cheaper and save money. As a result, we have what we have. I am convinced that we need to design with reserves so that nothing like this happens. After all, people’s safety depends on it! And what could be more valuable than human life?
The whims of nature
Last week, the country was declared at an orange alert level. Unfortunately, many people only guess what these alarm colors mean: green, yellow, orange, red.
To identify the degree of hydrometeorological danger and for a better perception of weather forecasts containing warnings about adverse and dangerous meteorological phenomena, the Republican Hydrometeorological Center introduced a special color code from June 1, 2013, which allows you to communicate in an accessible way how serious the situation is.
The code scale consists of 4 colors.
A green alert level means that the weather is not dangerous and no adverse natural phenomena are expected.
Yellow - the element is potentially dangerous, adverse events are expected (precipitation, thunderstorms, gusts of wind, high or low temperatures). They are common throughout our country, but at times they can pose a threat to certain types of socio-economic activities.
Orange - the weather is dangerous, adverse events are expected in most parts of the country, and in some places - dangerous (squalls, downpours, thunderstorms, hail, heat, frosts, snowfalls, blizzards). They can negatively impact socio-economic activities and lead to significant property damage and loss of life.
Red - the weather is very dangerous, weather events of extreme intensity are expected, which can cause serious property damage and loss of life.
A similar practice of using a color code has been adopted in many national hydrometeorological services around the world, including our neighboring states.
Interestingly, Asia consistently ranks first in the world in terms of the number of floods, with a significant lead from other continents. Among the countries, China leads. It has experienced 58 floods over the past four years. In second place is the USA (52). Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Somalia, Russia and Romania experienced more than 10 floods per year.
But of all the countries in the world, Bangladesh suffers the most from floods, where the plains, flooded by the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna and small rivers, account for approximately 2/3 of the country's total area.
Not a single country or region of the globe is immune from the violence of the elements. Nature often shows its character. The main thing is to follow the recommendations of specialists and worry about the safety of your health and property. The wind is mighty
In November 2013, the strongest typhoon Haiyan reached the Philippines. Wind speed reached a record 315 km/h. The city of Tacloban on the island of Leyte was almost completely destroyed: not a single intact building remained. In early December, officials confirmed the deaths of 5,719 people, with another 1,800 missing.
On November 25, 2014, a cyclone struck a village in Coringa Harbor near Andhra Pradesh in India. The cyclone caused a tsunami of 12 meters, which destroyed most of the village, as well as the ships in the harbor. The cyclone killed 300 thousand people, of which about 20 thousand drowned.
The deadliest cyclone to ever hit the earth was Cyclone Bhola. The cyclone hit Bangladesh and Indian West Bengal on November 12, 1970 and flooded most of the islands of the Ganges delta. Over 500 thousand people died, most of them drowned.