July 31, 2022

Flooding in Paradise


Flooding in Paradise
Sochi, with normal water levels.  Wikimedia Commons, Trace. 

Over the weekend of July 22, 2022, record-breaking rainfall caused flooding in Sochi.

Sochi saw an unprecedented 90 millimeters (3.5 in) of rain in one hour. Vehicles and roads were destroyed, residences flooded, and debris was thrown about the city. According to Mayor Andrei Kopaygorodsky, the flood also caused several Sochi residents to lose power.

Arshak Makichyan, a Russian climate activist, said that climate change is to blame for the flood.

As of July 24, the Emergency Situations Ministry said water levels were back to normal in surrounding rivers. Shortly afterward, Mayor Kopaygorodsky re-opened Sochi’s beaches. Sochi is Russia’s largest resort city, enjoyed by tourists visiting the Black Sea coast.

Unfortunately, several injuries and one death occurred due to the chaos. Photos from the incident can be seen here.

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The Little Golden Calf

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Survival Russian

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December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

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