Storm damage in Oni municipality of western Georgia prompts emergency response

Severe weather has caused significant damage in several villages of Georgia’s Oni Municipality in western Georgia, with strong winds and heavy rainfall triggering river overflows and infrastructure destruction.

Local officials, including Oni Municipality Mayor Sergi Khidesheli, Sakrebulo Chair Bachana Markoishvili, and Deputy Levan Sherazadishvili, visited the affected areas on Friday to assess the damage firsthand.

According to municipal authorities, the storm tore roofs from residential buildings and damaged internal rural roads and power lines, leaving parts of the municipality without electricity.

Emergency crews and utility teams have begun restoration work and are operating in intensified mode in an effort to restore power and basic infrastructure in the shortest possible time.

Teams from the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Emergency Management Service and geologists are also on the ground, conducting around-the-clock monitoring of the affected zones. Officials say there is no immediate threat to the local population.

Mayor Khidesheli said that damage assessment was already underway, after which the local government will determine appropriate response measures.