Natural disaster hits Georgia’s Borjomi resort
By Tea Mariamidze
Monday, August 8
According to local authorities, after the natural disaster, the cleaning works in Georgia’s Southern resort Borjomi are completed.
Heavy rain, wind and hailstorms caused problems in Borjomi on August 4. Twenty-four hours of rain resulted in flooding, and the water damaged hundreds of houses, commercial shops and infrastructure.
Strong winds uprooted trees and left more than 6,000 families without electricity. Some people were slightly injured and taken to hospital. However, there were no fatalities.
An historic park in Borjomi was partly destroyed by flooding, and hundred-year old trees were uprooted. Locals and tourists were evacuated from the small town by rescue service members.
The affected area was visited by representatives of the government and the local municipality. Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili instructed all relevant agencies to be mobilized in the Borjomi municipality for relief efforts.
According to the State Security Crisis Management Board Chair Mindia Janelidze, the situation is under control and there are no grounds for panic. He said a special commission will report about the amount of inflicted damage in three days.
“The main challenge is to help the citizens whose houses were affected, and compensation procedures will start as soon as the damage is assessed,” stated Janelidze.
The disaster also affected the villages of Tsagveri, Sadgeri, Tsemi, Bakuriani, and Tba. Agriculture plots were destroyed and buildings were also flooded in the Akhaltsikhe district.
According to the Governor of the Borjomi Municipality, Dimitri Kipiani, rehabilitation works are still underway and the disaster results are mostly eliminated.
“Borjomi Park is also cleaned and restored and it will receive tourists and visitors as usual,” he said.
The National Environmental Agency predicts unstable weather to continue in Georgia for several days.
