The city of Kherson has faced yet another catastrophe as a dam was destroyed and water swiftly flooded the streets, leaving residents to deal with yet more hardship. Oksana Alfiorova, a sociologist who lives in the city, was awoken by an explosion early in the morning, and realised that things were far from normal when she saw water filling the streets of her low-lying neighbourhood. The power, gas and water supply to her apartment were cut off, and so she decided to board an evacuation train to Mykolaiv. Many of her friends and neighbours decided to take their chances and stay put, with only 43 passengers boarding the train to safety, most of the 10 cars were empty.
Ms. Alfiorova lived through nine months of Russian occupation and has been living under constant shelling since, but the flooding was one hardship too many. Prior to this latest tragedy, she survived the darkest months of the occupation, including a period of time when she had little money or food. She also had to deal with soldiers seeking out those with pro-Ukrainian sympathies, looting homes and businesses, and failing to deliver even the most basic services to the people. Even after Ukrainian forces captured Kherson in November, the threat did not fully subside, and Russia took to shelling the city from afar.
As the water level rose, police cars with loudspeakers were sent out to warn residents of the flooding and urge them to evacuate. Ms. Alfiorova and her son faced difficulty evacuating their neighbourhood as the shelling resumed but were able to make their way to the train station with the help of volunteers. In Antonivka, about 40 miles downstream from the destroyed dam, residents were also left surrounded by water from all sides. The dam, a critical structure, was blown up and both Ukraine and Russia have accused the other of being responsible for it.
