Safety first: Gov’t excludes volunteers from flooded areas

Volunteer workers are no longer able to participate in the cleaning activities in flooded Tbilisi due to safety concerns.

From tomorrow, June 21, "specially prepared and well-equipped members of state services" would replace volunteers, said officials. 

Volunteers clean Mziuri Park, one of the most affected areas of Tbilisi. Photo by Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge. 

This decision was made after the country’s Health Ministry suggested it was no longer safe for volunteers to work in the flooded areas of the capital city.

"Several days have passed but floodwaters have not yet completely receded; bodies of the dead animals remain there and temperatures have increased,” the Ministry representatives said.

They noted security measures were in place and there was almost no threat of an infectious disease outbreak.

"But unfortunately several volunteers still encountered minor health problems yesterday,” said the Ministry, adding it would be wiser to keep volunteer helpers away from cleaning works.

"The volunteers have shown unprecedented involvement and greatly assisted the city,” said Deputy Head of the Crisis Management Council of Georgia, Giorgi Ghibradze at a press conference today.

There, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili highlighted the volunteers’ contribution to the situation; thanked them and added volunteers would be given "lighter tasks” so they could continue helping the flooding victims.

Hundreds of Georgians volunteered to help affected families and clean the city’s streets after the June 13 deadly flash flood in Tbilisi.

Spades and gloves are in short supply in Georgia's capital after volunteers gathered in the city centre and began to clean the mud-drenched streets. Volunteers have not stopped working since the disaster struck. 

Click here to see a photo story of what Tbilisi looks like after the disaster.