Combating natural disasters in the city of Yelysavetgrad as a direction of activity of the City Duma and Administration (late 1880s – early 1910s)

Abstract

The article examines the fight against natural disasters in the city of Yelysavetgrad as a direction of activity of the local city council and administration in the late 1880s – early 1910s. City self-government bodies were engaged in overcoming the consequences of floods on the Ingul River. Meteorological observations were constantly carried out in the city and the population was notified of the possibility of a flood. The city council organized special commissions and divided the city into special precincts during the disaster. Direct losses from the flood and indirect losses from the unearned profit of homeowners and owners were determined. Natural phenomena in the form of huge storms and downpours damaged the city and the entire infrastructure of the region – railway stations, canvas, agricultural lands, crops on them.

The city council actively cooperated with the zemstvo, charitable organizations in the field of combating natural disasters and helping those affected by them. The big problem of the city was the lack of a sanitary doctor with experience and knowledge, as well as the condition of the streets, especially during the Ingul flood, when everything was covered with dirt and filth, which contributed to the spread of infectious diseases. Therefore, we can talk about a certain inactivity of the authorities in this direction. One of the reasons for this was the lack of government earmarked funds and the main hope was on charitable donations.

Every year, in winter and early spring, floods on the Inguli River were expected as military actions, preparing for them in advance by all possible means. The local press recorded the facts of the floods and the reaction of the city population to them, sometimes noting the activity or inaction of the authorities, although the city self-government bodies monitored the weather and tried to prepare for natural disasters whenever possible.