Bodajbo residents create mutual aid group amid extreme cold and utility failure
A community-led effort in Bodajbo coordinates the delivery of water, food, and heaters to those affected by the heating and water outage.
Residents of Bodajbo have created a special Telegram chat to coordinate volunteer work and accept requests from those in need of water, food, or heaters. A state of emergency was introduced in the city this morning due to a utility accident that left more than 1,300 people without heating and water.
Now, the Bodajbo residents« chat, called »Help and Support for People in a Difficult Situation,« has more than 1,500 people. People are actively offering their services to deliver water or food, simply giving away heaters to each other, and helping families with children or elderly citizens.
Some are even cooking food specifically for those who cannot do it themselves now.
«Three two-liter jars of fruit drink and seven containers of cabbage with meat. Everything is hot, please come and take it,» writes a resident named Anastasia in the chat.
«A heater and some water were delivered to an elderly woman on Lytkinskaya Street,» reports Anna K.
Meanwhile, Yulia Koroleva says that she has cooked porridge and milk soup and asks volunteers to deliver the food to those who need it.
Bodajbo resident Victoria Gorbunova writes: «I can help wash children»s clothes. Contact me via direct messages.« Some are even ready to let those who need to take a shower use their bathroom.
Representatives of School No. 3 are also asking for help in this group.
«If anyone can, please help School No. 3 drain the remaining water from the radiators. There aren»t enough staff and teachers for all the classrooms and radiators. If possible, bring rags with you,« asks Inna.
In addition, the chat has hosted a fundraiser for essential items.
Let us recall that Bodajbo has been experiencing heating and hot water problems for the third day. The central water pipeline has frozen, leaving more than 1,300 people without heat. Governor Igor Kobzev called the situation in the city «critical», sent his first deputy Roman Kolesov and Minister of Housing Policy and Energy Anatoly Nikitin there. The state of emergency was introduced in the city on January 31.
