From the crisis to depression

On the doors of the hostel in Blagoveshchensk, where we live, a sign has changed. Previously, it was written here "Point of temporary accommodation of citizens", and now - "Point of long accommodation." Those people who were evacuated here at the beginning of the flood will remain for a long time. Their houses are recognized as not subject to restoration, and now the municipality has to find and redeem another housing for them. Many are glad: instead of an old house, they hope to get an apartment. True, when this happens, it is unclear.

In the villages, the situation is different: almost no one rejoices at the upcoming relocation. Own land, home for peasants is more important than for urban ones. “I have all the graves here, I was born here,” the locals say. “Do you want to show a place in the cemetery that I have prepared for myself?” And the resettlements are large: the red will be resettled, in Grodekovo they will demolish the whole street, in other places in different ways-some will demolish at home, others will be repaired. There are quite a lot of housing in the areas, which can be redeemed and transferred to immigrants. But those who want to move a little. People return to their damp houses with rickety stoves, try to dry them and restore them.

The return of people to their own homes gives rise to new problems. At temporary placement points, they were fed three times a day. And how to eat in a wet house where there are no supplies, where the garden was destroyed, but there was no work, because the fields are filled? Therefore, we have to throw grocery sets and drinking water again and again into the villages. Although everyone thought that the need for this would disappear as soon as the water fell. The water was asleep, people returned, the shops opened, but where to get the money for products? Where to get money for baby food, which costs almost 400 rubles for three days? In addition, now many are asking for bedding, blankets, pillows, clothing, cot. The conveyor of humanitarian aid is not possible to stop so far. So while we are working.

The situation from the crisis becomes depressive. The flood threw people, already well -groomed, over the brink of poverty. How soon the Amur residents will get out of it - a big question. We will leave, they will remain. And winter on the nose.

Vsevolod Makhov - coordinator of the "civil corps" of volunteers