Volunteer assistance remains in demand for victims of the Adillotar flood

The situation in the Dagestani village of Adilyotar is stabilizing, but volunteers are still in need of help in flood relief. Authorities are assessing the damage to villagers' homes, while schoolchildren are studying in neighboring villages or remotely. As reported by the Caucasian Knot, approximately 500 homes in the Adilyotar village council (which includes the villages of Adilyotar, Kadyrotar, and Tutlar) were damaged by the flood. Residents of these villages lost 400 head of cattle, 360 head of small livestock, and nearly 30,000 poultry. Mandatory payments for dead livestock in Dagestan are not provided, lawyers have indicated.

Volunteer assistance is still needed in Adillotar

Although the situation is stabilizing and rescuers are still present in villages, volunteers brought in by government representatives are working in Adillotar, Abdulkadir Makhmayev, head of the Adillotar village council, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on May 5. "We still need volunteers to stabilize the situation," he explained.

Many people are coming from neighboring villages.

A resident of Adillotar, who asked not to be named, also believes the situation is stabilizing. "Almost all the silt has been removed, and new gravel has begun to be poured on the streets. The Ministry of Emergency Situations is doing most of the work, but volunteers are also working. Many people are coming from neighboring villages," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The assessment of damage to villagers' homes has not yet been completed

More than 2,000 residents of the village council received one-time assistance, said Abdulkadir Makhmayev. "They are currently receiving compensation for property losses. As for compensation for houses and other structures, a commission is currently working to determine the extent of the damage," he said.

For those Adillotar residents who were unable to stay with relatives, the district administration rented 49 apartments in Khasavyurt, paid for for two months with a possible extension, Makhmayev said. "As for assistance with clothing and so on, humanitarian aid has completely covered this need," the official added.

A resident of Adillotar confirmed the payments and the work of the commission assessing the damage to homes. He added that, according to his observations, the local temporary accommodation center is currently empty. "Some have gone to stay with relatives, others to Khasavyurt," the villager explained.

Children are studying in schools in other villages or remotely

Students from the Adillotar school are either studying in schools in neighboring villages or remotely, said Abdulkadir Makhmayev. "The younger students are studying at their new locations—some residents have gone to neighboring villages to stay with relatives." "And the senior classes are studying remotely," he said.

A local resident confirmed the village council head's words, adding that those students who want to study in person (mostly seniors) are transported to neighboring villages by school bus.

As a reminder, the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences has linked regular flooding in Dagestan to a combination of natural processes and anthropogenic impacts, which exacerbate the scale of natural disasters. Dagestani analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" also cited reckless development, natural factors, and the poor state of hydraulic structures as causes of the devastating flood. They also unanimously praised the significant contribution of volunteers in the flood relief efforts.

Floods caused by heavy rains occurred in the North Caucasus in late March and early April and were among the most devastating in recent years. Six people died as a result of the flooding in Dagestan. Dagestan and Chechnya suffered the most from the natural disaster, according to the Caucasian Knot report "Spring Flooding in the North Caucasus - 2026".

The Caucasian Knot has compiled materials about flooding in the republics of the North Caucasus Federal District in the spring of 2026 on the thematic page "Flooding in the North Caucasus".