The true causes of the flooding in the Kuban, which claimed several hundred lives and destroyed thousands of homes, are unknown. However, there are several theories on this subject, both official and "popular."
On the night of July 7, a flood began in the Kuban, which destroyed houses in Gelendzhik, Novorossiysk, Krymsk and several villages. At that moment, when the first warning from the Ministry of Emergencies appeared, the survivors were already sitting on the roofs of the houses, and the elderly, children and the disabled, who were unable to escape, died. It is this fact that allows us to argue that, in part, hundreds of people were guilty of the representatives of the Ministry of Emergencies, who did not warn in time of the disaster and did not organize the evacuation.
One of the causes of flooding is called too much rainfall. According to official statements, a five-month rainfall hit the Kuban in a day, causing rivers to overflow and flooding cities. Krymsk was especially badly damaged, where the water level in some places exceeded the mark of three meters. The flow was so strong that cars and even trucks turned over under the pressure of water.
The unofficial version that officials reject is the breakthrough of the Neberdzhaevsky reservoir or the organized or automatic discharge of water from it. In particular, representatives of the Investigative Committee were able to establish that the water from the reservoir really drained when heavy rain began, but it cannot be precisely stated that this led to the tragedy. There are also rumors that the drain was not automatic, but specially organized, because the officials had a choice: flood the Krymsk or allow water to go through other parts of the Kuban, including the area where President Putin’s dacha is located. This version was neither confirmed nor disproved.
And finally, the official theory says that the flood in the Kuban was due to the development of flood hazardous areas. To prevent the tragedy from happening again, Gosprirodnadzor, Rosvodresursam and Roshydromet were instructed to take all necessary measures. It was decided to restore hydrological posts as soon as possible, to ensure the best functioning of weather stations in Krymsk and Novorossiysk, and to take measures to prevent new natural disasters.
