Landslide at northern Devdoraki Gorge, Gov’t reacts to avoid victims
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A landslide has fallen in Devdoraki Gorge in northern Georgia, blocking roads and a checkpoint at the Georgia-Russia border.
Georgia’s Ministry of Environment said the landslide hit a short time ago. The debris from the landslide has blocked traffic and temporarily suspended all operations at the Kazbegi Customs checkpoint at Georgia-Russia border.
Relevant state bodies and a working group from the National Agency of Environment of Georgia received signals from the early warning systems which were installed in the Gorge last year. The fast response meant there were no victims, said authorities.
Thanks to the early warning system, the National Agency of Environment were able to send immediate emergency signals to other state agencies about the landslide, and to quickly evacuate people from the danger area and block the roads to avoid casualties.
Customs employees have been evacuated and safely transported to a nearby monastery.
The Ministry said mud was sliding down the area and both sides of the Gorge were blocked.
The water level inside the Gorge was a little higher than normal. Authorities have closed the road leading to the Gorge until situation has improved.
The Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia and other relevant state agencies are on alert and observing the situation.
The officials said they were ready to act immediately if needed.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs said it was prepared to use helicopters or other means of air travel to evacuate people, if necessary. The Ministry will also carry out a control flight in the area with experts and geologists to fully assess the situation.
International experts are working in northern Georgia’s mountainous area to design a landslide warning system that will give notice to the population of an impending natural disaster.
One person has died and another is missing following this week’s landslide in Devdoraki Gorge, near Kazbegi and the Russian border.
Heavy rain was believed to be the cause of the landslide, which struck yesterday in Devdoraki Gorge, near Kazbegi and the Russian border.
The landslide disaster in Dariali Gorge was caused by extreme movements of an icy glacier located high on a mountain peak, experts say.
Georgia’s First Vice President, Economy Minister Dimitry Kumsishvili believes it take about two weeks to rebuild a section of road that was swept away by a mud flow in northern Georgia yesterday.
People wanting to go to Russia from Georgia are being helicoptered to the border by Georgian police after a landslide blocked the only road linking the two countries.
Georgia suggests alternative routes
Georgia’s Interior Ministry is offering several alternative routes for people wanting to go to Russia from Georgia but can’t as a landslide still blocks only road linking the two countries.
The recent natural disasters in west and northeast Georgia and the effects on the local population were the focus of today’s Governmental meeting in capital Tbilisi.
The only road linking Georgia and Russia is reopening today after being blocked by a landslide for 10 the past days. Georgia’s Road Department announced the Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Larsi Road would fully reopen at 5pm today.
The main road connecting Georgia and Russia has been closed again as meteorologists suggest the weather will worsen and another landslide could occur, potentially damaging the road and other infrastructure.
200m path ensures safe exodus in natural disasters
The Government of Georgia has taken action to improve safety and reduce effects of natural disasters facing people who live and work in the high-risk landslide zone in the country’s northeast.
The Kazbegi Customs checkpoint at Georgia-Russia border has temporarily suspended all operations due to bad weather conditions.
Traffic has been resumed in the Dariali Gorge in northern Georgia and the Kazbegi Customs checkpoint has continued all operations, announces the Revenue Service of Georgia’s Ministry of Finance.
Passenger cars are now allowed to move on the Gudauri-Kobi part of the Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Larsi motorway where cleaning work has been carried out since morning amid snowslide risks.
A weather station has been installed by the Ministry of Environment protection in Georgia’s mountainous regions of Kazbegi, 2940 meters above sea level.
The average temperature in Georgia will likely be 1-2 degrees higher this summer than usual, says the National Environmental Agency noting that the amount of rainfall will be less than average in east Georgia.