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'A nightmare comes to life': Ukrainian student in Ohio reflects on dam collapse in her hometown

The Kakhovka dam burst in southern Ukraine, causing communities to flood below the dam.

CLEVELAND — On Tuesday, the Kakhovka dam collapsed in southern Ukraine, causing concerns over drinking water and electricity supply, mass flooding, and threats to agriculture. According to officials in the region, more than 4,000 people have been evacuated from the area.

Dana Krukovska grew up in Kakhovka, Ukraine, forced to flee with her parents when her community came under Russian occupation early in the war. Through the Ukrainian Freedom Scholars Program, she came to Ohio, to study at Ashland University and continue her education.

Krukovska said Kakhovka HPP was a sort of a landmark in the Kherson region, and was a familiar sight when she would return home from travels.

“For me, for all people who live near Kakhovka HPP, it was something special, something unique,” she said. “For example, every time you go back home from Kherson to your town, and when you are going through Kakhovka HPP, you call your parents and say, ‘hey mom, I’m driving through Kakhovka HPP, I will be at home in 15 minutes.’”

According to region officials, flood levels reached about 18 feet in some areas after the dam collapsed, submerging communities. Krukovska said she has heard of rescue and evacuation efforts taking place, but acknowledged the challenges, given part of the area is under Ukrainian control, while the other has been occupied by Russian forces.

Officials say more than 200 square miles of the region were submerged this week. Russia and Ukraine are pointing the finger at one another for the destruction.

“Everything is destroyed, it’s a huge threat,” she said. “It’s a huge threat to our environment, to our agricultural sector, to our people, to our animals.”

Krukovska said that some communities farther up the river are also concerned about a dwindling water supply impacting crop growth as the water runs downstream.

Krukovska still has family in the Russian-occupied territory, including her grandparents as well as friends. While she is able to contact them, she said she is always concerned for their safety.

“It was really something really important for people in our region, and now it’s destroyed, and I realize when I will go back home, my home won’t look like the same as I remember it,” she said.

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