An action in memory of victims of the tragedy in Krymsk passed off in Krasnodar

On July, 15, an action in memory of the victims of flood passed off in Krasnodar. Activists of non-governmental organizations, bloggers and volunteers took part in the action, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

It should be reminded that the heaviest showers caused a disastrous flood in Kuban. According to the information from Krasnodar regional Administration, the number of people lost as a result of the flood makes 166. According to Committee of Inquiry of Russia, 164 persons perished and eight are missing. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, 171 persons perished. By the latest data, the number of houses destroyed in Krymsk makes over 1370.

The action was held in Recreation park named after Gorky, in front of the stele "Angel of Peace". About half an hour before its beginning a concert organized by the Youth Parliament of Krasnodar started and an hour before the beginning the volunteers started distributing leaflets with account numbers for donations to the victims among the passers-by. Youth bands of different genres were singing on the stage, concurrently fund raising for help to the victims was going.

"The Youth Parliament has been in the zone of disaster already since Sunday. We are working in an area of Krasnodar divided into blocks, Chairman of the Youth Parliament of Krasnodar Alexander Baturo said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. - We have two points of collecting aid in Krasnodar. We forward daily collected things, medications and foodstuffs to Krymsk by buses. A group of young parliamentarians is working there".

According to Baturo, there is enough work to do in Krasnodar itself. They have to organize collection and delivery of humanitarian aid, convey appeals to commercial organizations asking them to help the sufferers, interact with different foundations.

"Today we are giving a concert in memory of those lost and collecting funds for the victims. Monday morning the organizers of the concert will start for Krymsk themselves", Chairman of the Youth Parliament added.

"I was in Krymsk on July, 8, and 14. There were many changes during the week. The people started receiving a more targeted and efficient aid", member of the Youth Parliament Mikhail Vakulenko said.

According to the young man, on the first day after the flood organizational work was going in the very center, "it was difficult to get to the suburbs but now the volunteers, including ones from the Youth Parliament, deliver humanitarian aid, help cleaning the courtyards already according to a plan".

The parliamentarian added that everyone was "going to Krymsk willingly, we do not need to make anybody work. Those who feel that they cannot cope with the task go back and help in some other way here in Krasnodar".

Mikhail himself while cleaning blockages injured his hand but said that after management of the wound he paid no attention to it and went on working.

However, not all of the civil activists approved of the concert that included merry numbers. But some of them realizing irrelevance of such an entertainment could still explain its necessity.

"We needed the concert to draw public attention. If we just distribute leaflets with account numbers nobody will pay attention. But here we announce our action of fund raising by microphone", volunteer Inna Volkova who also worked in Krymsk explained. Speaking of the power of social networks Inna reminded that the "social networks had already given a taste of quality when the volunteers who came willingly worked more than the Ministry of Emergency Situations".

Blogger Alexander Topalov, one of the organizers of the action, told the "Caucasian Knot" that its only organizer was the tragedy that happened in Krymsk. Thanks to the social networks, people responded and gathered, firstly, to distribute the leaflets with the account numbers and secondly, to honour the memory of those lost".

According to Topalov, most of the participants of the action repeatedly went to Krymsk and that "was not done for PR. The people did not speak of their political force, they were just held together by the tragedy". That evening the volunteers distributed about two thousand leaflets with account numbers all in all.

Alexander Topalov himself opened the action. Then printed leaflets with the names of the people who perished were laid at the foot of the memorial and all comers could put candles. Among the candles put by residents of Krasnodar of different views, age and social position there were ordinary paraffin, church wax and gel ones in round moulds.

In about half an hour the action ended and its participants broke up. There were no incidents with the police or an official of PR Department of regional Administration who was video filming the action.