May 27 2005, 14:15 Agrarian Marketing Project

Hail with squally wind caused significant losses to the agriculture of Odesa oblast

A strong storm accompanied by hail and squally wind gusts transformed to whirls happened on the 26th of May 2005 in the central rayons of Odesa oblast (Belgorod-Dnestrovskiy, Ovidiopol, Belyayev rayons) and in Odesa city. The wind strength may be judged from the fact that, according to the information provided by the local inhabitants, two port cranes have been blown down in Belgorod-Dnestrovskiy, there is unconfirmed information about the human victims there. The scale of losses caused to the agricultural producers is being specified now. Valentina Kotsur, the Agronomist of Odesa AMP office visited the suffered rayons on purpose to clear up the state of things of AMP clients and to provide them with the consultative assistance; it's been already known that whirls have passed through the fields of many farmers, the hot frames are destroyed there, film and glass are torn off from many greenhouses, the plants suffered much, hail ruined the seedlings recently planted in the open ground, the spread out drip irrigation systems have suffered too. The mitigation of the natural disaster consequences is hampered by the impassability of roads caused by the abundant rainfalls.