Forest fires in 2021 covered huge areas of taiga forests in Siberia and the Far East. In the Republic of Yakutia, the village of Byaya-Kyuel was severely damaged by fire: a riding fire with a gust of wind broke into one of the quarters of the village, more than 30 houses and 8 outbuildings were destroyed.
Almost immediately, the head of Yakutia Aisen Nikolaev I appealed to the president with a request to send children and chronic patients from the smoke-filled area to rest and treatment in other regions. He also voiced the need to build a new school and a multifunctional center. Vladimir Putin supported the proposals of Aisen Nikolaev.
Within 2 months, by October 15, 32 residential buildings (26 individual and 6 apartment buildings) and infrastructure (gas, Internet; a new cowshed for 100 heads was built) were restored. Residents received compensation from the regional budget, new household appliances and certificates for the purchase of furniture.
Elvira Yarygina.Photo: provided by the administration of the Government of Sakha (Yakutia).
The contractor faced a difficult task: to restore the neighborhood in 2 months and at the same time offer people comfortable and durable housing. Elvira Yarygina, an engineer-estimator of SLDK LLC, a lumber company, noted how difficult it is to plan and perform construction work on permafrost, in a harsh climate.
“The thickness of the panels should be calculated for this region, necessarily with insulation of the basement and roof. It should be remembered that the construction of houses was carried out in a short time, it was not possible to prepare for the construction of capital. For areas with frequent forest fires and sudden temperature changes, usually choosemore durable materials: brick or concrete. However, the construction of houses from them requires much more time, which in the case of Byas-Kuel played a decisive role. Here it was important to give people housing before the winter cold, which was done,” says the engineer.
Assistance ended before the start of the winter period
In an emergency situation, the authorities of Yakutia worked quickly. The case of the village of Byay-Kyuel compares favorably with some others when residents suffered as a result of natural phenomena.
“The head of Yakutia reacted quickly. In the Irkutsk region, in Eastern Siberia, it happened that several weeks passed before direct support began. If there are response protocols here, then they were effective, the local authorities worked perfectly. The help was completed before the winter period began, this is the most important thing, says Peter Kiryan, head of the Social Research Laboratory at the Institute of Regional Problems.
Vladimir Klimanov. Photo: provided by the administration of the Government of Sakha (Yakutia).
Vladimir Klimanov, The director of the RANEPA Center for Regional Policy under the President of the Russian Federation also emphasizes that the leadership of the region was able to react quickly and effectively use the existing powers.
“The Law on Emergency Situations was adopted back in 1994 and became one of the first in the new constitution. In the village of Byay-Kyuel, we are just dealing with an emergency caused by a dangerous natural phenomenon. It became a threat to people, but the elimination of emergencies meant not only saving lives and preservinghealth, but also compensation for damage. Fortunately, it was possible to solve the existing problems in a short time. It would be impossible to do everything so quickly without clear actions of the republic’s leadership,” the political scientist believes.
Pyotr Kiryan also noted the work of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Berdnikov who personally controlled the progress of construction on site, as well as the contribution of the business (the diamond mining company Alrosa donated 200 million rubles, PJSC NK Rosneft 25 million rubles).
Peter Kiryan.Photo: provided by the administration of the Government of Sakha (Yakutia).
“The control was effective. The head of the region cannot deal with all issues, even the most urgent ones, he is forced to delegate tasks. His choice was correct, the deadlines for the elimination of primary damages, the provision of financial assistance were met. The regional authorities and municipalities worked well together, key enterprises of the region joined the financing. This is an outstanding situation.Usually, in the case of natural disasters, we are talking about the allocation of funds through the treasury, when the region receives money and only then distributes it. Here, the business took on a burden that was not directly related to its activities, showed social responsibility. In this regard, there is also the merit of the local authorities, who quickly outlined the amount of assistance required,” concluded Kiryan.
Everyone really got involved in the situation. Local services went beyond their direct duties to help the affected villagers. So, the gas supplies were restored by specialists of JSC Sakhatransneftegaz. “The work was carried out promptly and efficiently. After the fire, we also responded to the request of a large family Stepanovs —residents of one of the burned houses. They have another house in Byas-Kyuele, heated by a wood-burning stove. Understanding the severity of the situation of the family in a difficult situation, we connected the house to the gas networks for free,” he told Alexey Kolodeznikov, General Director of JSC “Sakhatransneftegaz”.
