Record Snowfall Means Moscow Needs NINE Days to Clean Up Its Streets
Companies and analysts begin to count how much the record snowfall will cost. Almost half a meter of snow fell over the past two days. This is the monthly precipitation norm. The Moscow authorities said that it would take 9 days to remove the snow.
Additional forces were used tonight to clean the streets of the capital — about 3,000 people and 600 units of various equipment. It won't require extra money, the city authorities assure.
Viktor Biryukov, deputy mayor of Moscow: "Mostly state-financed entities operate on the streets. This money is included in the budget. We have contracts with private companies, in accordance with which no additional funds are needed. This funding is included in this year's budget too. That's why the city has no problems".
Seemingly, air companies and airports will also have to count losses. As of yesterday evening, 63 flights were delayed in Sheremetyevo, 21 flights were delayed and 9 were canceled in Domodedovo, 7 were delayed and 4 were canceled in Vnukovo. On February 6 and 7, the Aeroflot air company has canceled 32 flights, its official website says. The carrier withdrew 19 aircraft Airbus A320 from the schedule for technical reasons, according to some sources. Only 12 of the 40 aircraft Sukhoi Superjet 100 are operating flights.
About 13,700 people were left without electricity in Saratov, Volgograd, and Penza regions, as at 20 pm yesterday. It was about 17,000 people in the Volga Federal District only four hours earlier. Now the electricity supply in all these regions has been restored. The Ministry of Energy estimates possible losses.
Evgeny Grabchak, Head of the Department, the Ministry of Energy: "The main restoration works are completed. On the whole, we have spent tens of millions of rubles. It was unplanned expenses born by grid operators, including additional brigades, equipment, work around the clock".
It was reported that about 2,000 trees had fallen due to heavy snowfall in Moscow. As a result, insurance companies have recorded approximately 20% more queries.
Karen Asoyan, the Ingosstrakh insurance company: "Yesterday there were 50% more calls than usual, today about 20-25% more people called to our call center. People ask about the situations with fallen trees, small accidents with snow removal equipment, and so on. All these are potential insured events that are covered by the CASCO policy".
All payments will be made in full, insurance companies say. But it is important that the right to compensation be stipulated in the contract of those who had their homes or cars damaged.
Svetlana Gusar, Vice-President of the Russian Union of Insurers: "Not all people insure their homes or cars. 3-5% of people insure their housing, up to 7% in some regions. Slightly higher the percentage of those who buy CNC insurance".
It is too early to talk about the total amount of losses, but experts recall the foreign experience. For example, one day of snowfall in the UK in 2009 cost 1.2 billion pounds.
The municipal services of Moscow will have to remove almost 80 million cubic meters of snow. Since the beginning of the winter, about four times less snow has been removed in Moscow. Over 800 thousand cubic meters of snow were removed during the previous day.