Bad weather conditions in the form of heavy snowfall, fog, and blizzards hit most of the territory of Kazakhstan. The wind speed reached 25-30 meters per second in some regions of the country. As a result, the roads were shut down. A national highway emergency response team has been set up in the country, with similar teams operating in the regions. Temporary warming centers have been prepared on closed sections of roadways. More than 1,000 vehicles have accumulated at checkpoints. Rescue units have evacuated almost 700 people. Overall, more than 4,000 people and 1,300 vehicles of the Emergency Situations Ministry, local executive bodies, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have been involved in rescue operations.
“838 temporary warming centers were opened on closed sections of roads for the evacuation of citizens. 232 SMS text messages were sent to warn people about the deterioration of weather conditions. 71 messages were sent via the Darmen mobile app,” said Kaharman Orazalin, Head of Emergency Response Department of the Kazakh Emergency Situations Ministry.