Disaster relief underway in eastern Georgia after floods, hail hit localities
Disaster relief works are underway in the eastern Georgian municipality of Gurjaani, where houses, roads and dozens of cars were hit by floods and damaged following heavy rains and hail on Thursday. Photo: Kakhetis Khma
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Disaster relief works are underway in the eastern Georgian municipality of Gurjaani, located in the Kakheti region, where houses, roads and dozens of cars were hit by floods and damaged following heavy rains and hail on Thursday.
Regional radio Kakhetis Khma said local rivers had swollen following the rain, with several central streets, ground floors and yards of residential houses, as well as vehicles in the municipality affected in the resulting floods.
Photo: Kakhetis Khma
The central street of the city of Gurjaani was later partially cleared by professionals using heavy equipment, with traffic restored on a number of internal roads overnight.
Farmers said the hail damaged their vineyards and orchards, and said the damage was expected to leave them without a harvest this year.
Photo: Kakhetis Khma
Damage estimates are expected to be revealed following visits of relevant agencies to the affected areas, Kakhetis Khma said.
Employees of the Emergency Management Service of the Georgian Interior Ministry on Tuesday paid tribute to the 21 victims of the deadly 2015 flood in Tbilisi, in an event marking eight years since the city’s worst human and infrastructure disaster in decades.
Heavy rainfall, hail and strong wind between Monday and Wednesday affected municipalities in the central and eastern Georgian regions, causing damage to buildings and floods in residential homes.
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Traffic through the Rikoti Pass crossing between the eastern and western parts of Georgia has been restored following restrictions placed in sections of the area after it was hit by a landslide caused by rain between Wednesday and Thursday, the Roads Department said.
Georgian Railway on Friday announced it was resuming its services between the capital city of Tbilisi and the western locations of Batumi and Zugdidi, after heavy rains in western regions caused a suspension in operations on Thursday.
Georgian Railway on Monday announced it was resuming its services between the capital city of Tbilisi and the western cities of Batumi, Poti and Zugdidi, after a landslide near the Marelisi station in the Imereti region caused a suspension in operations on Sunday.
Heavy rainfall and strong winds affected municipalities in western Georgian regions between Monday and Tuesday, causing damage to buildings and floods in residential homes.
The Interior Ministry said about 40 individuals have been evacuated from the disaster zone in Georgia’s western Shovi resort, after a landslide hit the area earlier during the day.
The Georgian Interior Ministry on Thursday said about 70 individuals had been transferred to a safe venue from the disaster area as a result of the ongoing rescue operations in the country’s western Oni municipality, after a landslide hit the area earlier during the day.