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Extreme snowfall paralyzes daily life in Russia’s Far East

Source: Meduza

Record snowfall in Russia’s Far East has paralyzed the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. With snow drifts several meters tall blocking homes, vehicles, and businesses, local residents are struggling to cope.

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky recorded 37 centimeters (14.5 inches) of precipitation in December — more than three times the monthly average. This was followed by another 16.36 centimeters (6.5 inches) of snow in the first half of January, roughly 150 percent of the norm, according to a local news agency, citing the regional hydrometeorological center.

Snow cover in the city has reached 170 centimeters (5 feet 7 inches), with some neighborhoods buried under more than 2.5 meters (over 8 feet). On social media, residents have reported snowbanks as high as five meters (about 16 and a half feet).

A municipal state of emergency remains in effect in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and the region is under an avalanche warning. As of January 17, however, the storms that brought the relentless snowfall had begun to recede. That night, regional authorities reported removing 2,500 cubic meters (nearly 88,300 cubic feet) of snow from city streets.

According to Vera Polyakova, the head of Kamchatka’s Hydrometeorology Center, the weather conditions Kamchatka has experienced over the past month and a half qualify as extreme and are recorded only rarely. At an emergency response commission meeting, Polyakova said that comparable snowfall was last observed in the early 1970s, when several months’ worth of precipitation fell in a short span. “For the modern period of observation, these conditions are exceptionally rare,” she said.

The snow crisis brought daily life in the city to a halt. Passenger buses stopped running, and residents were transported instead in National Guard police vans and shift-worker buses typically used at remote worksites. Limited passenger bus service resumed on January 17.

Homes are buried under snow, and emergency responders and military personnel are helping residents dig them out. On Avito, Russia’s most popular classified ads website, prices for snow removal services for houses and vehicles have surged to as much as 80,000 rubles (over $1,000). Trash collection in the regional capital has nearly ground to a halt, as garbage trucks are unable to access snow-choked courtyards.

Regional institutions and schools have switched to remote learning. On January 15, local officials reported that two people had died after being struck by snow falling from rooftops. There have also been reports of shortages of certain goods at neighborhood shops and long lines at major grocery chains. Officials say they are manually monitoring the availability of essential items in stores.

Authorities have urged residents not to leave their homes unless necessary, issuing warnings via loudspeakers. A volunteer group has been set up under the emergency response headquarters to help elderly residents, people with disabilities, large families, and the families of soldiers fighting in Ukraine by clearing snow from courtyards and delivering food and medicine.

After a meeting of the emergency response commission on January 19, Kamchatka Krai Governor Vladimir Solodov ordered crews to prioritize clearing major roads and passageways between residential blocks. Traffic police have also begun manually directing traffic at the city’s busiest intersections.

Residents have shared videos online showing how they were coping with the extreme conditions. One video shows paramedics forcing their way through deep drifts and snow-filled apartment entrances, while others show people escaping snowbound high-rises through windows — sometimes even jumping from upper floors into snowbanks — and residents digging out their cars.

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