The Komandor Islands, a small group of islands located some 180 km (110 miles) east of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, are home to about 800 people, including 200 children. Food supplies to the islands have been interrupted since December 2007 due to continued storms. Severe weather makes it impossible to deliver food either by sea or air.
The Anatoly Krashenninikov ship with 50 metric tons of food on its board was dispatched to the Komandor Islands on Thursday but had to hide in the Olga Bay on the eastern coast of Kamchatka on Saturday due to a storm. The local weather center expects the storm to abate by February 12, the emergencies centre said.
The situation with food supplies that have been obstructed for more than a month has emerged for the first time in the history of Kamchatka Peninsula. The residents of the Komandor Islands are experiencing a shortage of flour, milk and other foodstuffs. Regional authorities are keeping the situation under special control.
