Evacuation from Kherson will continue for several more days, situation is difficult, volunteers are not being let in
The evacuation operation in Kherson in connection with Russia's blowing up of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) will continue for several more days, and the entry of volunteers has been limited because the authorities there now have enough manpower and resources.
Source: Natalia Humeniuk, the head of the joint press centre of the Defence Forces of Ukraine's south, during a briefing, quoted by Interfax Ukraine; Kherson Oblast Military Administration; State Emergency Service of Ukraine
Quote from Humeniuk: "The rescue operation is actually taking place on the contact line. Reporting the number of people involved in this operation is completely inappropriate. Reporting the number of pieces of equipment involved on this front is absolutely impossible.
We are not trying to hide anything; we want understanding, and we are saying: there is absolutely enough manpower and resources now. That is why today, even the arrival of volunteer aid in Kherson was limited."
Details: Humeniuk said the operation to evacuate people and deal with the aftermath will continue for several more days, and help may be needed later, but it is better to suspend the entry of volunteers for now.
The Defence Forces stated that at the moment they have everything they need, and a larger number of people should not be put at risk of shelling by Russian troops.
Quote from Humeniuk: "Conducting such evacuation work under a very serious threat of shelling has its own rules. And in order not to create an unnecessary crowd of people, and not to overload the medical facilities and other structures, and the Defence Forces, there is a need to deliver the aid that comes in gradually.
Aid will still be needed in the coming days, when the resources being used now have been exhausted."
Details: On the morning of 9 June, the Kherson Oblast Military Administration reported: "Due to constant Russian shelling and the deterioration of the security situation in Kherson, we are asking volunteers with boats who were planning to join the rescue operation to refrain from visiting the city. If necessary, we will notify them separately if there is a need for such help. At present there is enough manpower to rescue people and animals from flooded areas."
The State Service for Emergency Situations has urged citizens to immediately evacuate from flooded areas in Kherson Oblast, in particular from the Ostriv microdistrict in Kherson.
Mykhailo Hryb, Acting Head of the Emergency Response Department of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, noted that the Ostriv district is completely flooded; the water has reached the first floors, but "people who are on the sixth and seventh floors do not want to evacuate".
According to Hryb, they expect the water to recede soon and do not realise how complex the situation is.
"The water will recede, but it will be a long process. Rescue workers can’t be constantly delivering food and water. Therefore, we are urging everyone to leave dangerous areas. We have all the manpower and resources we need to evacuate people," Hryb explained.
As of 15:40 on Friday, 2,528 people, including 140 children and 54 people with limited mobility, had been evacuated from the flooded areas, according to the Kherson Oblast Military Administration.
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