The storm has ripped the roofs off several homes, flooded streets and disrupted electricity and water supplies around the city of 200,000 people on the southern end of the Kamchatka peninsula.
"The streets are full of water... roofs are leaking in dozens of homes... the wind is pulling down electricity lines," said Alexander Arkhipov, a local journalist, contacted by telephone.
Schools have been closed down, flights cancelled and fishing -- one of the few sources of revenue for inhabitants of the province -- has been suspended due to the extreme conditions.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2006