Secret disaster of Severo-Kurilsk: tsunami of 1952 (17 photos)

Author: zaCCCPanec

07 May 2022 06:48

Tags: 1952 Severo-Kurilsk tsunami tragedy  

24160

17

In Severo-Kurilsk, the expression “living like on a volcano” can be used without quotation marks. There are 23 volcanoes on the island of Paramushir, five of them active. Ebeko, located seven kilometers from the city, comes to life from time to time and releases volcanic gases.

0

See all photos in the gallery

When it is calm and with a westerly wind, they reach Severo-Kurilsk - it is impossible not to smell the smell of hydrogen sulfide and chlorine. Usually in such cases, the Sakhalin Hydrometeorological Center issues a storm warning about air pollution: it is easy to get poisoned by toxic gases. Eruptions at Paramushir in 1859 and 1934 caused mass poisoning of people and the death of domestic animals. Therefore, in such cases, volcanologists urge city residents to use breathing masks and water purification filters.

0

The site for the construction of Severo-Kurilsk was chosen without conducting a volcanological examination. Then, in the 1950s, the main thing was to build a city at least 30 meters above sea level. After the tragedy of 1952, water seemed worse than fire.

×

1

In the fall of 1952, the country lived a normal life. The Soviet press, Pravda and Izvestia, did not get a single line: neither about the tsunami in the Kuril Islands, nor about the thousands of people who died. The picture of what happened can be reconstructed only from the memories of eyewitnesses and rare photographs.

Severo-Kurilsk

(Sakhalin region)

OKATO code:
64243501
Founded: City since:
1946 City of regional subordination
Center:
North Kuril district
City was formerly called:

Deviation from Moscow time, hours:
8
Geographic latitude:
50°41′
Geographic longitude:
156°07′
Altitude above sea level, meters:
30 Sunrise and sunset times in the city of Severo-Kurilsk

Links[edit]

Notes[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e
   Law No. 25-ZO
2. ^ a b
   Federal State Statistics Service (2011).
   “All-Russian Population Census 2010. Volume 1" [All-Russian Population Census 2010, vol. 1]. All-Russian Population Census 2010 [All-Russian Population Census 2010]
   . Federal State Statistics Service.
3. https://www.gks.ru/free_doc/doc_2018/bul_dr/mun_obr2018.rar ; archive date: July 26, 2022; received: July 25, 2022; Archive URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20180726010024/https://www.gks.ru/free_doc/doc_2018/bul_dr/mun_obr2018.rar.
4. ^ a b c
   Law No. 524
5. "On the Calculation of Time". Official Internet portal of legal information
   . June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
6. Post office. Information and computing center of OASU RPO. ( Post office
   ).
   Search for postal service objects ( postal Search for objects
   ) (in Russian)
7. Telephone codes of Sakhalin - Telephone codes of Sakhalin (in Russian)
8. Federal State Statistics Service of Russia (May 21, 2004). “The population of Russia, the constituent entities of the Russian Federation as part of federal districts, urban settlements, settlements, settlements of 3 thousand or more people” [Population of Russia, its federal districts, federal districts, districts, urban settlements, rural settlements - administrative centers and rural settlements with a population of more than 3,000 people] (XLS). All-Russian Population Census 2002
   .
9. “All-Union Population Census of 1989. The current population of union and autonomous republics, autonomous regions and districts, territories, negative phenomena, urban settlements and rural district centers” [All-Union Population Census of 1989: current population of union and autonomous republics, Autonomous regions and districts , territories, regions, districts, towns and villages performing the functions of district administrative centers. All-Union Population Census of 1989 [All-Union Population Census of 1989]
   .
   Institute of Demography of the National Research University: Higher School of Economics [Institute of Demography of the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. 1989 - via Demoscope Weekly
   .
10. "Earthquake of magnitude 7.5 near Severo-Kurilsk, Russia". SFGate
    . March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
11. "Pogoda.ru.net" (in Russian). Retrieved September 8, 2007.
12. Sisterhood with Hokkaido

Sources [edit]

• Sakhalin Regional Duma. Law No. 25-ZO of March 23, 2011 “On the administrative-territorial structure of the Sakhalin region,” as amended. Law No. 62-ZO of June 27, 2013 “On amendments to Article 10 of the Law of the Sakhalin Region “On the administrative-territorial structure of the Sakhalin Region””. Entered into force on April 9, 2011. Published: “Provincial Gazette”, No. 55 (3742), March 29, 2011 (Sakhalin Regional Duma. Law No. 25-ZO of March 23, 2011 “ On the administrative-territorial structure of the Sakhalin region"
  as amended by the Law of June 27, 2013 No. 62-ZO "
  On Amendments to Article 10 of the Law of the Sakhalin Region") On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of the Sakhalin Region"
  . Valid from April 9, 2011).
• Sakhalin Regional Duma. Law No. 524 of July 21, 2004 “On the borders and status of municipalities in the Sakhalin region,” as amended. Law No. 45-ZO of May 27, 2013 “On Amendments to the Law of the Sakhalin Region” On the Borders and Status of Municipal Entities in the Sakhalin Region “”. Entered into force on January 1, 2005. Published: “Provincial Gazette”, No. 175–176 (2111–2112), July 31, 2004 (Sakhalin Regional Duma. Law No. 524 of July 21, 2004 “ On the boundaries and status of municipal entities in the Sakhalin region”
  , as amended by Law No. 45-ZO of May 27, 2013 “
  On Amendments to the Law of the Sakhalin Region “On State Rights”).
  Borders and status of municipalities in the Sakhalin region " . Effective January 1, 2005).

Map

Severo-Kurilsk: photo from space (Google Maps) Severo-Kurilsk: photo from space (Microsoft Virtual Earth)

a brief description of

Located in the northeast of Paramushir Island (Kuril Islands), on the shore of the Second Kuril Strait, 1338 km northeast of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Territory (sq. km): 3501

Information about the city of Severo-Kurilsk on the Russian Wikipedia site

Historical sketch

Until 1945, the city of Kashiwobara (Kashiwobara; name after the river and Kashiwobara Bay) was part of Japan, since 1945 - Russia. Liberated on August 24, 1945 by the troops of the 2nd Far Eastern Front and the forces of the Pacific Fleet during the Kuril landing operation.

In 1946, the city of Severo-Kurilsk; name for its location in the north of the Kuril Islands.

Economy

Fishing port (base of the northern fleet). Fishing industry.

Main enterprises

FISHING INDUSTRY

LLC "Firma Seaproduct"
694550, Sakhalin region, Severo-Kurilsk, st.
Sakhalinskaya Offers:
Extraction and processing of fish and seafood

Museums, galleries, exhibition halls

North Kuril Museum of Local Lore 694550, Sakhalin Region, Severo-Kurilsk, st. Sakhalinskaya, 42-a Phone(s): (42453) 21-924

Architecture, sights

Severo-Kurilsk stretches along one long street along the low-lying coast of a vast bay. On the island side, the bay is bordered by part of the Vernadsky volcanic ridge.

Climate[edit]

The climate of Severo-Kurilsk is subarctic (Köppen Dfc

). The average monthly temperature is above 10 degrees Celsius only in August and September. Due to the influence of the cold Oyashio Current, it is cold and humid all year round. The annual rainfall is more than five times that of Siberia.

SKR.SU

Liberal Democrat V. Shadrin dreams of making the most distant region of the Sakhalin region better

The leader and only member of the LDPR faction in the island parliament, Vasily SHADRIN, visits all municipalities on duty. However, in recent years, in his speeches, he has increasingly raised the problems of the most distant region of the region - North Kuril. The people's choice is familiar with local living conditions: he not only goes on business trips to Paramushir, but also lived on this island for several months. And this is what he said...

100 thousand - for the road

– In March 2014, I put forward my candidacy for the post of mayor of Severo-Kurilsk. And although in the end I did not get enough votes, then I was able to fully experience all the “delights” of life on Paramushir. Since the post-Soviet period, a lot has changed in our country, and positive trends can be seen in the island region. However, this progress has not yet reached Severo-Kurilsk. There is a lot there that was done and built during the Soviet era, today it is falling into disrepair, unfortunately.

It was rare that the heads of our region reached the Northern Kuril Islands. The reasons for each of them are different, but I think no one will deny that this municipality is still the most disadvantaged in our region. It’s a paradox, but at the same time, the budgetary provision of the North Kuril region is one of the highest - about 2 billion rubles, including the Kuril program, per 2 thousand population. What did local managers do with this money? Judge for yourself.

1 kW of electricity in Severo-Kurilsk costs 13 rubles! Yes, the population is subsidized for most of this tariff from the regional budget. But entrepreneurs, for example, pay full price. What kind of business development can we talk about here?

Local residents are deprived of the opportunity to learn and pass a driver's license. It is also impossible to obtain a weapons license in Severo-Kurilsk. For this, our fellow countrymen are forced to go to the regional center. And the journey from the regional center to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is a different story. According to my observations and calculations, you need at least 100 thousand rubles for flights and accommodation! From the regional budget, North Kuril residents are compensated for the cost of travel only to Kamchatka - either by helicopter or by boat. That's all. And from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky they still have to get to Khabarovsk, and only from there they can get on a flight to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Our Ministry of Transport claims that these flights should not be subsidized, since they are not carried out within the region. I personally don't agree with this. People simply have no alternative; they are forced to ride on transport buses to get to the regional center. In this regard, I asked whether it was possible to launch a plane or ship directly from Sakhalin to Paramushir. Experts believe that theoretically, yes. But in practice there are many pitfalls. For example, there is no runway in Severo-Kurilsk even for small-capacity aircraft. But if difficulties arise with this that cannot be resolved in a short time, then why not subsidize flights for North Kuril residents individually, or, in other words, targeted. So that any person can safely leave there for treatment, training, paperwork, etc.

I myself witnessed how local authorities, using a helicopter, erected monuments to the Day of Liberation of South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands from the Japanese invaders. Although it would be possible to use ground transport for this. But trying to fulfill the order of the head of the region as quickly as possible, they used a helicopter. And, tell me, where is the connection in this case between subsidizing passenger transportation and how air transport is actually sometimes used?..

Education, asphalt, scrap metal

– There is not a single vocational school in Paramushir. And such an educational institution is extremely necessary here. It’s understandable why young people dream of leaving here immediately after finishing school. There are no career prospects, nor normal leisure time.

Asphalt, unlike Iturup and Kunashir, has not yet arrived on the distant North Kuril island. Not a single meter of road with a modern hard surface, and the length of Paramushir is more than 100 km!

The entire coastal area is literally littered with sunken ships. In Kamchatka and the Southern Kuril Islands, the entire coastal area was recently cleared of scrap metal. What can we say - in Severo-Kurilsk there is not even a landfill for solid household waste! New houses are not being built here for those displaced from dilapidated and dilapidated housing.

Powered by two regions

The functions of some federal structures and organizations here are performed by representatives of the Kamchatka Territory, and not the Sakhalin Region. It is clear that the Kamchadals have little interest in the development of the Kuril Islands. Border guards from the neighboring peninsula feel like real masters in Severo-Kurilsk. But they are, in my opinion, not doing what they should be doing. For example, they “count” fish tails on incoming and outgoing ships. And God forbid it turns out to be a little less than previously stated. But the captain sometimes approximately, “by eye,” calculates the weight of the catch precisely because the border guards require that this information be declared in advance. And if the captain made a mistake, then they also fine the enterprise.

Fishermen must be notified 24 hours in advance that the vessel will go fishing. Another “duty” of the local border guards is not to allow local residents to move around Paramushir outside of Severo-Kurilsk, and also to travel to Shumshu without their knowledge. By the way, there are a lot of wild plants in Shumshu - mushrooms, berries. People know about this, but they can’t always get there. Another paradox: Severo-Kurilsk is further from America than Kamchatka, but there is a border zone on the Kuril Island, but not on the neighboring peninsula.

But when boarding a helicopter or motor ship, no inspection is organized. Carry whatever you want...

Representatives of Rosselkhoznadzor in the regional center are also from Kamchatka. Because of this, the procedure for veterinary control of caught fish is too complicated. Both the Russian Post office and air traffic are, as they say, not local. But, for example, the police, the prosecutor’s office, the investigator are ours. I believe that all structures and federal bodies in Severo-Kurilsk should be territorially assigned only to the Sakhalin region. I am sure that our new governor is capable of changing the current situation.

An eloquent fact: there is no civil defense and emergency department in Paramushir. This means that there is virtually no one responsible for the safety of local residents in emergency situations. A recent example is a sunken diving boat. It crashed just 6 km from Shumshu when several ships were nearby. Including the rescue tug, which, as it later turned out, was working there under a commercial agreement with another ship. The pontoon drifted for two days close to the shore, where the depth is 40 m. But no one thought of dragging it aground and checking whether there were people inside. And, most likely, they were there - life preservers, rafts and a buoy were found near the crash site, but neither the personal belongings of the fishermen nor the life jackets that were probably on board were found. I assume that the crew was locked inside some compartment of the ship and went to the bottom along with the diving board. At the moment, judging by official reports, they are trying to place the blame for what happened on the shipowner, who was arrested on the very first day and restricted in carrying out the rescue operation. A criminal case regarding the death of people was opened on the same day when the tragedy occurred and the pontoon was still afloat. But, I repeat, no one even tried to carry out a rescue operation!

In general, I personally have great doubts about the professionalism of the current leaders of the North Kuril region. There are audit results that indicate theft of budget funds. I hope that the competent authorities, having studied these materials, will make a fair verdict.

With my numerous speeches about the Northern Kuril Islands, I want, first of all, to attract the attention of the regional authorities to this municipality. I would like to believe that the problems of the most remote and inaccessible region will soon finally begin to be gradually resolved.

MP's New Year's wish

I wish that the coming year brings prosperity and success to each of us, and also gives new brilliant ideas that will be brought to life. Let peace and mutual understanding reign in your families, and let the love of loved ones warm you at any moment. I wish everyone personal and professional growth, optimism and self-confidence! Happy holiday, Sakhalin and Kuril residents! Happy New Year!

Results of the work of the LDPR faction from 2012 to 2015

Lawmaking and parliamentary activities:

▪ Participation in the development of 13 bills: 6 adopted as laws, 7 are under consideration in relevant committees

▪ V. Shadrin initiated parliamentary hearings in the regional Duma on the topic “On the state of affairs and prospects for providing quality medical services to the child population of the Sakhalin region.”

Work with voters:

▪ Over three years, the leader of the LDPR faction V. Shadrin held 32 receptions in the regional Duma and 109 on-site meetings in constituencies with citizens and public organizations

▪ More than 300 written and oral requests were accepted, for each the necessary consultations and clarifications were given or assistance was provided

▪ The topics of the addresses touched on almost all spheres of life, but most often voters at the receptions raised issues of health care, social protection, and housing and communal services.