MOSCOW, January 2. /TASS/: Russia’s Emergencies Ministry has drafted amendments to the federal law on the protection of the population and territories from natural and man-made emergencies to oblige civilian population to be evacuated from endangered areas. The bill was uploaded to the portal of regulatory and legal acts on Thursday.
In accordance with the proposed amendments civilians will be obliged to obey evacuation orders following an official announcement or at the demand of officials responsible for the evacuation operation.
Currently, mandatory evacuation is possible only in two cases: the beginning of a counter-terrorist operation and in a state of emergency.
Emergencies Minister Yevgeny Zinichev earlier told TASS that during the 2019 summer floods in the Amur Region the local population refused to leave the endangered areas, thus creating hindrances to rescuers, who were forced to keep special equipment and watercraft in such areas just in case, although they were badly needed elsewhere. The Emergencies Ministry addressed President Vladimir Putin with a special request and the head of state issued instructions to amend legislation to permit mandatory evacuation in emergencies.
