Over the 24 hours when the Vitebsk Region was in the power of the cyclone, the normal monthly pre-cipitation of 34mm fell in some cities, Vitebsk and Senno to name but two. It’s more than 60 years since such a vast amount of sudden precipitation has been seen in the Dvina River area. Public transport disappeared under piles of snow. In Vitebsk’s Lenin Street, seven MAZ bendy buses failed to make it up the slippery hill at the section between Svobody Square and Pobedy Square.
The military immediately came to assist them with their all-terrain ‘Ural’ vehicles, dragging the buses up the slope and allowing them to continue along their route. According to Olesya Seregina, Head of publicity for the State Traffic Police at the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee’s Internal Affairs De-partment, no blockages or traffic jams due to snow were reported on the Republican and regional roads, “Around 40 heavy machinery and vehicles cleared avenues and streets in Vitebsk. These were accompanied by State Traffic Police patrols. Due to the well-organised and well-coordinated work we managed to avoid heavy accidents connected with the worsening of weather conditions. There hasn’t been a single fatal road accident in the region. We’ve also registered only 10 more traffic accidents compared to usual days. Moreover, we asked enthusiasts not to use cars these days, with most people heeding our warnings” she noted.
By Sergey Golesnik
