OCHA Situation Report No. 1
Georgia - Floods
29 April 2005


Situation

1. Due to the almost week-long torrential rains, most of the western 
Georgia regions and some parts of eastern and southern Georgia suffer 
from severe flooding. Roads, bridges, houses and other buildings have 
been covered by heavy water in Lentekhi, Mestia, Oni, Ambrolauri, 
Tsageri (Racha-Lechkhumi-Kvemo Svaneti) and Kutaisi, Khoni, Tskaltubo 
districts (Imereti). As reported in media, about 500 families ask for 
immediate evacuation. The situation has been further complicated by the 
fact that clearing operations were hard to carry out due to freak 
weather and damaged roads. There is still no access to some villages 
located in Svaneti regions where the local population, left without 
water, electricity and roads is awaiting external assistance. In 
Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti regions, rivers Rioni, Krikhula and 
Lekhumi flooded land plots, houses and a 300-meter long bank-protecting 
constructions. Several roads, bridges and water pumps have been washed 
away and need urgent repair. Over 30 families have been evacuated from 
Ambrolauri district, Racha. 61 houses are completely destroyed and 173 
families have been evacuated in Tsageri, Oni, Lentekhi and Tskhaltubo 
districts.

2. The river has destroyed roads in Lentekhi, Svaneti and has stranded 
residents of over 40 villages. In Laghani village of the Mestia district 
of Zemo Svaneti region a landslide has been reported. It is noteworthy 
that many other locations in the region are under threat of landslides.

3. 50 houses have been flooded in Kutaisi and Tskhaltubo cities in 
Imereti where the Rioni River has come out of the banks.

4. There was threat of flooding in Tbilisi as well, as the River Mtkvari 
level was raised the evening of 26 April, as a result around 10 houses 
were flooded in the Kvemo Ponichala settlement where Rescuers of 
Emergency Situations and Civil Safety Service, Ministry of Internal 
Affairs rescued 8 persons.

5. According to preliminary assessment, the priority problem is 
roads/bridges infrastructure in addition to houses, poultry and cattle 
that were washed away by water.

6. Floods also struck parts of central/eastern Georgia. The villages of 
Dzevera and Uplistsikhe in the Gori district of the Shida Kartli region 
suffered after the Mtkvari and Liakhvi rivers burst their banks on April 
26.

7. It has been reported that several districts of South Ossetia were hit 
by flooding as well, particularly Java and Kvaisa districts that are 
completely isolated.

8. In Mtskheta-Mtianeti region roads are washed away, one bridge is 
damaged on river Aragvi, nearby territory is flooded. Two houses are 
destroyed in Kazbegi district.

9. Weather conditions improved in most of the regions of western 
Georgia, but landslides hit the mountainous region of Khulo in Adjara 
Autonomous Republic on the night of 27-28 April, cutting off access to 
several villages there. There is still a threat of so-called "secondary 
effects" of heavy rains and snow melting - landslides, especially in 
mountainous regions of Georgia that are normally prone to such 
disasters.

10. No casualties have been reported.

National Response

11. In the morning of 27 April a special Governmental Session was called 
to discuss and define the Government action plan in response to the 
disaster and to estimate the damage. As per a Presidential Instruction, 
military equipment and road transports were mobilized for immediate 
assistance. Due to lack of access to certain areas it is very difficult 
to calculate real figures of the damage. Georgian Prime Minister Zurab 
Nogaideli said that the government could allocate 20 million GEL for 
flood relief activities. It is expected that much more financial 
resources will be needed to eliminate the damage caused. The Prime 
Minister mentioned priority actions such as urgent assistance to the 
homeless and pledged to purchase new houses for the affected.

12. Two battalions of reservists were immediately mobilized in Kutaisi, 
part of which managed to reach some affected villages by foot, and 
provided immediate assistance to the local population. Local 
municipalities managed to bear the primary responsibility for urgent 
assistance, including accommodation and food aid.

13. Emergency Situations and Civil Safety Service (ESCSS) has been 
activated and has sent its representatives to Racha-Lechkhumi, Imereti 
and Shida Kartli.  ESCSS has been working closely with local 
administrations.

14. A Special Crisis Group has been set up under the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs, responsible for provision of updated information regarding the 
disaster to international organizations and foreign media 
representatives. The Deputy Minister George Gomiashvili leads the crisis 
group. A round-the-clock hot-line has been set at: (995 32) 28 47 47. 
Late on 28 April the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia issued a 
Circular Note for international community with the request of assistance 
in providing technical equipment, such as heavy machinery, potable water 
tanks, water filters and pumps, and emergency items.

15. The President of Georgia has offered assistance to the breakaway 
south Ossetian authorities and local population. No response has been 
given by the authorities in this region as yet.

International Response

16. The Office of the UN Resident Coordinator under the framework of the 
international Disaster Management Team (DMT) - comprising all UN relief 
agencies present in Georgia, several interested donors, ICRC, IFRC, and 
international NGOs - is in constant contact with the Government of 
Georgia at the central level. The DMT is convening on regular basis and 
updated information is being shared. The DMT member agencies have also 
reviewed their in-country available stocks of relief items. Discussions 
about possible responses are ongoing as well as planning for rapid needs 
assessment. However, at the regional level, the World Food Programme 
office in Kutaisi is maintaining contact with the Regional Governors of 
Imereti and Kvemo Svaneti - both these areas are amongst the worst 
affected and closely monitoring the situation.

17. A number of spot assessments have been conducted by UN agencies and 
NGOs working in areas affected by the emergency, including in Imereti, 
Racha-Lechkumi and Kvemo Svaneti. Further assessments will take place in 
conjunction with local authorities over the coming days focusing on a 
selected number of areas thought to be worst affected, specifically in 
Lentekhi, Tsageri, Tskaltubo and Upper Svaneti.  This will also include 
the deployment of an IFRC FACT needs assessment team. Detailed planning 
of these assessments in presently ongoing. The DMT and the IFRC FACT 
Team will work closely to coordinate the needs assessments and response 
actions. Meanwhile, on 30 April, the DMT pre-assessment mission, led by 
WFP Sub-Office in Kutaisi and comprising of World Vision and UMCOR staff 
will take place in Imereti and Racha-Lechkhumi, most probably in Adjara. 
This mission will look at the overall situation with a focus on food 
security, health needs and infrastructure.

18. The UN Country Team in Georgia, donor agencies as well as many 
international NGOs stand ready to provide assistance to the affected 
population and assist Georgia to alleviate the effects of the landslides 
and floods. A number of international donor agencies - including the US, 
German, French Embassies in Tbilisi - have already announced pledges of 
assistance.

19. This Situation Report and information on ongoing emergencies is also 
available on the OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int.

Tel. +41-22-917 1234
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10
Desk Officers:
   Ms. Charlotta Benedek
     E-mail: benedek@un.org
     Direct Tel. +41-22-917 1205
   Mr. Ricardo Mena
     Direct Tel. +41-22-917 1455
     E-mail: menar@un.org

Press contact:
   GVA - Ms. Elizabeth Byrs, direct Tel. +41-22-917 2653
   NYC - Ms. Stephanie Bunker, direct Tel. +1-917-892 1669

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