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The head of state said it was necessary to complete the reconstruction work in the areas of Yakutia which were hit by flooding by September 25.

Taking part in the meeting were Deputy Prime Ministers Alexei Kudrin and Valentina Matviyenko, Railways Minister Nikolai Aksyonenko, and Communications and Information Minister Leonid Reiman. Sergei Shoigu, the Minister for Emergency Situations, briefed the participants in the meeting from Lensk via satellite link-up on the progress of the relief work.

The Minister for Emergency Situations said that more than 6,000 people and 300 units of special equipment were involved in the work, and the number of workers would be trebled by August 10. Mr Shoigu also reported that out of the 3,200 families that had lost their homes due to flooding, 850 had already been issued housing certificates. The Minister for Emergencies assured the President that by September 1 all the schools in Lensk and other communities in Yakutia would be repaired and open to schoolchildren. By September 15 the housing and utilities in the flood-stricken areas would be fully restored.