03 November 2009, 10:00
Bad weather in Georgia: people lose homes and disappear
Because of downpours incessant in Georgia for two weeks already, thousands of hectares of farmland are under water. As a result of floods and snowfalls a number of regions of the country are cut off from the outer world; the calamity destroys houses, and several persons were registered as missing.
In the region of Kakhetia, several rivers overflowed the banks. Water has carried away four bridges; and a number of villages will have no contacts with the rest of Georgia for a long time. Almost the whole region remains without electricity, as posts of power lines were tumbled down by rough water streams. As a result of flooding, winter stocks were destroyed, which can lead to cattle loss and famine.
People are evacuated from remote settlements by helicopters. "Rescuers from Tbilisi have hardly managed to evacuate people by helicopters from some villages and farms, who tried to escape the stormy nature by sitting on house roofs. Eyewitnesses said that the river rooted out semicentennial trees," the Radio Liberty reports.
The "Russia.ru" reports that the damage is already assessed by the authorities of Georgia as millions dollars.
