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Oct 28, 2023

Evacuations continue in Ukraine as scope of dam disaster comes into full view

Geoff Bennett

Geoff Bennett Geoff Bennett

Eliot Barnhart Eliot Barnhart

Zeba Warsi Zeba Warsi

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Floods are inundating vast swaths of southern Ukraine and rescue and salvage efforts are underway as the waters keep rising. Tuesday's dam collapse unleashed a humanitarian and ecological disaster in a nation already suffering from 16 months of war. Geoff Bennett discussed the ongoing rescue and relief efforts with Ewan Watson of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Geoff Bennett:

Floodwaters are inundating parts of Southern Ukraine and rescue and relief efforts are under way, as the waters keep rising.

Yesterday's dam collapse has unleashed humanitarian and ecological disasters in a nation already suffering from 16 months of war.

Evacuations continuing today after the Ukraine dam disaster, as the scope of devastation comes into full view. Drone footage showed rooftops barely holding above rising water lines, some swept away entirely by the Dnipro River, as floodwaters engulfed village after village in Southern Ukraine.

Valery Melnik, Ukraine Resident (through translator):

It is our home where we live. Or it was. Maybe it will be again when it dries out.

Geoff Bennett:

Flood victims in Kherson sifted through their belongings, desperate to save pets from drowning, and to salvage soiled items.

Earlier today, Ukrainian authorities said the river was still swelling and water levels could remain at peak heights for as long as 10 days. Evacuation efforts were swift. Residents joined Ukrainian police as they navigated the streets on inflatable boats and makeshift rafts, even as the sounds of nearby shelling persisted.

Mykhailo Smitskii, Volunteer Rescuer (through translator):

I have been coming here for a whole year. I want to do something useful for our country, for our people.

Geoff Bennett:

So far, about 3,000 people have fled their homes, but over 60,000 people reside in the flood-impacted areas.

The exact cause of yesterday's breach is still undetermined. Both Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of deliberate attacks, while others say Russian attacks on the dam last year could have caused cracks that led to its collapse over time. Security footage from November showed a fiery blast tearing through a section of the dam's walls.

This satellite image from June 1 shows the dam intact, on June 2, clear damage to a section of road. And, by yesterday, June 6, the dam was completely destroyed, with water bursting through. As the Kakhovka Reservoir empties downstream, the humanitarian implications are immense.

Ukrainian officials warn that floating mines unearthed by the deluge pose a threat to civilians across the region. And as a critical source of drinking water is cut off, experts fear the spread of diseases and hazardous chemicals.

Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Ukraine: Dozens of towns and villages will struggle with the issue of potable water supply. The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station is a crime against humanity and an ecocide.

Geoff Bennett:

All this on top of a relentless war.

For an update on the ongoing rescue and relief efforts, we turn to Ewan Watson. He's the head of communications at the International Committee of the Red Cross. He joins us now from Geneva.

Thank you for being with us.

How is the ICRC, the Red Cross, assisting with the ongoing rescue and relief efforts across Southern Ukraine? What are you hearing from your partners on the ground?

Ewan Watson, International Committee of the Red Cross: Well, our partners, the Ukrainian Red Cross, are doing incredible work right now.

So, on day one, they already managed to evacuate 800 people, including approximately 60 people with low or absolutely no mobility at all. You have got to remember that, in this flood-stricken area, this was already an area that was devastated by fighting. So, many people have fled. And many, many of the people that remain are people that were sick, who were old, who couldn't really — couldn't really go anywhere.

So they were desperately vulnerable already, before this dam was destroyed. And here we are with yet another tragedy on our hands. So, what we have been focusing on through our partners, the Ukrainian Red Cross, is really to move people to a degree of safety. Of course, people are alarmed, shocked by the rapidity of the rising water.

It's obviously extremely dangerous, with land mines floating around, with the possibility of those exploding at any time. It's dire, and we're extremely concerned.

Geoff Bennett:

Meantime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today that he was shocked at what he said was the failure of the Red Cross and the United Nations to provide help after the dam collapse.

He said of your organization — quote — "They aren't here."

How do you respond to that?

Ewan Watson:

Well, I think the frustration is understandable. And we can recognize that.

When you see the humanitarian needs in front of you, then it's only understandable. What I would say is that our partners are working incredibly hard on the ground. And we support them in many, many different ways, through technical support and other, to make sure that they are best placed to do that evacuation work and make people make sure that people have some drinking water, and some basic necessities.

Where our role is going to become stronger with time is in terms of tackling the longer-term needs of this, because, of course, what you have got is an area now that typically was used for agriculture. And now that land is no longer available for agriculture, between the flooding and the land mines.

And, therefore, what are people going to do in terms of making a livelihood? That's a desperate concern. The other one is just the availability in the longer term of drinking water. These are two massive concerns, yes, for today, but also for the longer term. And that's where we expect to work very closely with our partner on the ground helping the communities.

Geoff Bennett:

When President Zelenskyy says, we have had no response, I am shocked they aren't here, to what then do you think he's referring?

Ewan Watson:

I mean, I don't want to comment further on what the president is saying here.

I think, from the humanitarian perspective, we have sought to respond across Ukraine since the intensity of this conflict broke in February last year. I think what's important here is that, firstly, we really echo what is an important point of law here, which is that a dam, just like a nuclear facility, must be protected.

It should not be attacked during warfare. That's against the law. And the problem when there is an attack like this is that it unleashes these dangerous forces, water that moves land mines in different directions, that then triggers all sorts of additional dangers to a population already in grave danger.

So we have been working since day one of this international armed conflict to respond to the different needs across the country. And we will — we will continue to do so.

Geoff Bennett:

To your point, this is the most significant damage to civilian infrastructure since the start of this war. It has far-reaching and grave consequences.

How does this compound what people across Southern Ukraine are already experiencing with this brutal war?

Ewan Watson:

Yes, I mean, I think, if you take a city like Kherson, which, of course, has been and remains at the epicenter of this conflict, that's a city that has been taken and retaken.

It has been — it has been really at the center of a front line that has seen vicious fighting, where people have had to flee, possibly felt safe enough to come back, and now again wondering where the next foothold of safety lies.

So, that can — you can just see that happening in all sorts of different communities in this region. And if you look further east, of course, there's been conflict raging there since 2014. So, for many communities in these areas, fighting is nothing new. They have had to live in the middle of it. They have had to live in the middle of shifting front lines, working out how to find daily bread each day.

It's a devastating situation, and it's not getting better. It's not getting better. It's getting worse.

Geoff Bennett:

Ewan Watson, head of communications with the International Committee of the Red Cross, thank you for your time.

Ewan Watson:

Thank you.

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Geoff Bennett Geoff Bennett

Geoff Bennett serves as co-anchor of PBS NewsHour. He also serves as an NBC News and MSNBC political contributor.

Eliot Barnhart Eliot Barnhart

Zeba Warsi Zeba Warsi

Zeba Warsi is Foreign affairs producer, based in Washington DC. She's a Columbia Journalism School graduate with an M.A. in Political journalism. Prior to the NewsHour, she was based in New Delhi for seven years, covering politics, extremism, sexual violence, social movements and human rights as a special correspondent with CNN's India affiliate CNN-News18.