THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE 1969 PITSUNDA STORM AND MEASURES TO OVERCOME THEM

The storm of 1969 in Pitsunda became one of the most resonant events among natural disasters of the late 1960s in the south of the USSR. Pitsunda was one of the main vacation spots for the Soviet political and cultural elite, as well as foreign tourists. However, mistakes in the construction of the resort complex, first of all, the reduction of the natural beach, upset the natural balance. The Soviet government adopted special decrees to eliminate the consequences of the storm and protect the shores of the Black Sea from destruction. The key direction of the expanded work was the introduction of the principles of preserving the natural sustainability of the coastline, taking into account the long-term consequences of interference in natural processes, and studying the effect of the construction of various structures on them. The new norms for the rational design of bank protection structures and forecasts of changes in the coastal zone were supposed to be disseminated as widely as possible in the practical activities of interested organizations in the coastal regions of the country. In the course of this work, steps were taken to prohibit the withdrawal of sediment from the beaches, the lower reaches of rivers and the seabed, control over the implementation of relevant regulations was established, measures were taken to create enterprises for the extraction of gravel, pebbles and sand outside the coastal zone. National science was entrusted with responsible tasks for the study and development of the resources of the sea coasts, the research of little-studied natural processes, the development of forecasts of coastal transformation, the identification of errors in the design of coastal structures, as well as the formation of relevant proposals. In the process of implementing these tasks, the administrative and managerial structures, research and production organizations of the Soviet Union had to overcome significant difficulties, there were successes and failures. These issues are still relevant to the present, which increases the importance of studying the relevant developments, the reasons for success and failure. These issues are still relevant to the present, which increases the importance of studying the relevant developments, the reasons for success and failure.

storm, Pitsunda, Black Sea, coastal protection, beach sediments, wave regime