Natural disaster hits mountainous Adjara region

Heavy downpour yesterday seriously damaged several villages in Georgia’s western, coastal Adjara region, but no victims are reported. 

Highland villages in Shuakhevi and Keda Municipalities were at the centre  of the natural disaster.

Four villages lost contact with the rest of the country as rough rivers destroyed seven bridges leading to the areas and damaged the road infrastructure. 

About 400 residents of the villages had no electricity and water. 

The flood caused by heavy rain destroyed agricultural lands and crops in several villages in Shuakhevi da Keda. The raging flood waters also destroyed trout farms and other sources of income for local farmers. 

The heavy rain triggered a landslide in one of the villages, which seriously damaged 10 houses. 

People living in these affected areas were transported to a safe place once local emergency services reached the isolated villages via a bypass road.   

Relevant state agencies provided significant effort last night to access the villages by an alternative route. 

Now emergency brigades, geologists and experts are at the scene to support the locals, study the environment and get a grasp on the damage caused by the disaster. 

Local officials said the scale of the damage would be known after two days of surveying, and after this relevant bodies will decide how to allocate funds to affected people. 

The local authorities said people would be supported either by the local Government or, if the damage was high, through the central Government’s reserve fund.