When the Kakhovka dam was destroyed, Afanasiivka in Mykolaivska Oblast transformed into an isolated island for roughly two weeks. As a result, water inundated 105 houses on the village’s periphery, which are situated considerably lower than the central area.
Liudmyla, a 61-year-old woman who works for the village’s executive authorities and has two sons, found her residence among those submerged. Her home, positioned on the outer limit, saw floodwaters rise 2 meters from the street level and 1.8 meters internally. The water’s force annihilated the utility space and swept away all tools.
“None of us anticipated the water to advance this far. Initially, the river’s surge was minor, rising merely by 30 centimeters. However, while I was at work, an urgent call from my husband informed me about our flooded garden and the rapidly advancing waters. Our hasty escape only permitted us to grab essentials like documents, pets, a vacuum cleaner, and a few miscellaneous items,” Liudmyla recounts with a heavy heart.
With her house rendered uninhabitable, Liudmyla and her spouse have found temporary refuge in their son’s home in Snihurivka. He had left the village during the occupation. Although she continues her daily commute to work in the village, she does not know when she will be able to return there permanently.
“The house is still wet. It wasn’t until mid-September that we could retrieve our furniture, which had absorbed so much water that it had expanded and become immobile,” Liudmyla explains. “Now, we are discarding soaked grains… Everything that we have worked for over many years.”
A significant number of affected residents have sought shelter with kin or friends in the vicinity. For some fortunate ones, whose homes faced only a 20-30 centimeter flood, refurbishments have been made, allowing them to remain.
Now, Liudmyla and her family cling to hopes of receiving compensation and yearn to reclaim a place of their own. “If presented with an option, we’d use compensation funds to purchase a new dwelling, even if it’s of lesser quality,” she mentions. However, such financial relief is designated solely for homeowners with completely destroyed residences. Her family qualifies only for funds to procure construction supplies or undertake repair efforts.
Liudmyla’s family received assistance as part of the project Rapid Emergency Support to Affected Population in Khersonska Oblast in Southern Ukraine (Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam), implemented by CF SSS together with the humanitarian organization CARE and with the financial support of Aktion Deutschland Hilft (ADH).