Story highlights
Floods and torrential rain hit the Russian city of Sochi
Sochi is set to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in February
International Olympic Committee insist there are no problems with venues
Rain, floods, evacuations and power cuts may have hit Sochi – but an Olympic size effort is underway to ensure the city is ready to host the 2014 Winter Games.
Streets and homes were flooded Tuesday with Irina Rossius, the press secretary for Russia’s Emergencies Ministry, forced to admit that a state of emergency was still in effect, according to Russian state agency, RIA Novosti.
While the local Emergency Ministries branch had denied that a state of emergency had been imposed, “the negative outlook” for Tuesday night has led to a change in circumstances.
Read: A brief history of the Winter Olympics
It is estimated that 1800 workers are currently undertaking work to clean the city following the evacuations of residents.
While 10 homes in the village of Mirny and some train stations in the Adler district are still flooded, the ministry stated on its website that rescue teams had made progress by pumping out water and allowing some trains to run.
The ministry also confirmed that all 30 residents who were moved from the village of Kepsha have since returned home after the water level drop from 45 centimeters to 5cm.
Flights at Sochi’s regional airports were canceled amidst severe weather, while traffic jams left the roads in turmoil.
Kubanenergo, the local power company, confirmed Tuesday that it had cut off the power in five regions to avoid risking power outages.
Read: Will social media foil Putin’s grand Winter Olympics plan?
The floods come at the worst possible time for Sochi with the International Olympic Committee coordination committee making its final visit to the city before the Games, which start on February 7.
The commission’s chairman, Jean-Claude Killy, will finish his visit on Thursday after holding meetings with organizers and visiting venues.
“The exceptional weather conditions in Sochi have not impacted the visit of the IOC coordination commission that is in Sochi from Sept 24 to Sept 26,” read a statement sent to CNN by the IOC.
“The Commission’s work is ongoing and they have just completed a successful visit to the mountain venues.”
When contacted by CNN Wednesday, the Olympstroy press office insisted none of the venues had been damaged by the adverse weather.
“None of the sports venues in Imeretinskaya lowland and in Krasnaya Polyana have been affected by heavy rainfall,” read a statement.
“All the new Olympic facilities have been built in accordance with strict seismic safety, weather protection and geological protection guidelines.
” All venues have proper mudslide and landslide protection. Service personnel in both mountain and coastal clusters are in place to ensure proper functioning of the facilities.”