One of Russia's deadliest flood disasters in decades, killing 171 people after an intense storm dumped nearly half a year's rainfall on Krasnodar Krai overnight.
Key Facts
- Death toll
- 171 people
- People affected
- ~30,000 people
- Rainfall equivalent
- Five months of rain fell overnight
- Maximum flood wave height
- 7 metres
- Primary city affected
- Krymsk, 80 km from Krasnodar
- Event date/time
- ~2 a.m. local time, 7 July 2012
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
An intense storm system struck the Krasnodar Krai region of southwest Russia in early July 2012, dropping nearly half a year's worth of rainfall over two days. The Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia reported that the equivalent of five months of rain fell overnight in some southern areas, saturating the terrain and overwhelming drainage capacity.
In the early hours of 7 July 2012, a catastrophic flood wave up to 7 metres high inundated the city of Krymsk and surrounding communities while most residents were asleep. The floodwaters submerged houses to their ceilings, and deaths were also recorded along the Black Sea coast in the resort of Gelendzhik and the port of Novorossiysk.
One hundred seventy-one people died, making it one of the deadliest flood events in Russia in 70 years according to regional governor Aleksandr Tkachyov. Approximately 30,000 people were affected across the region, and the disaster prompted scrutiny of early-warning systems and emergency response procedures in Krasnodar Krai.
Human Cost
Each dot represents approximately 10,000 deaths. Total estimated: 171 (flood)