The president’s authorized representative in Gomel Oblast, the head of Belarus President Property Management Directorate Yuri Nazarov heard out a report on the status of the relief efforts in the wake of the storm on 14 July, BelTA has learned. 

The situational center convened for a meeting in Svetlogorsk District, Gomel Oblast to examine the satus of forest recovery efforts.

Forestry Minister Aleksandr Kulik reported on the progress in clearing up windfall. Work schedule has been drawn up to implement the instructions by the head of state. According to operational data, about 33,300 hectares of woodland was damaged, of which more than 13,800 hectares need to be cut completely. In the remaining areas, selective logging will be undertaken and debris removed. According to experts, 4 million cubic meters of wood will be harvested as a result of clear-cut logging. 

On 23 July Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko signed a decree on the disaster recovery effort in the wake of a devastating storm. The document was prepared following the 19 July conference chaired by the head of state that was convened to discuss plans to eliminate the aftermath of the storm that hit a number of the country’s regions. 

The Forestry Ministry, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, the Education Ministry, as well as the Belarus President Administration and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus were instructed to complete the work on removing fallen trees and their parts. Blank sanitation cutting should be completed by 1 November 2024, selective sanitation cutting and debris removal should be over by 31 December 2024. 

The president will personally oversee the disaster response and relief effort.

Written by belta.by