Disaster Preparedness and Civil Defense Response Doesn’t Work in Georgia

Nona Suvarian, Tbilisi

IDPs from Tskhinvali region retell how they had to abandon their houses escape from the approaching occupants through alternative side roads. People in Tbilisi were also in a state of  panicked too  explosions; the situation was particularly tensed on August 11 when the motor-way Tbilisi-Kakheti region was so overcrowded that people could not move because of the traffic. The war demonstrated that civil security is working in Georgia at all. What does emergency response mean? Who should be responsible for responding to such situations and what danger do people face if the state does not have proper civil response system in emergency situations?

Irakli Sesiashvili, expert of peace and security policy, assessed that emergency response did not work during Georgia-Russian war whatsoever. He speaks about those components that are characteristic of such a civil preparedness and response system. First of all, the existence of an emergency response infrastructure is necessary during war or emergency situations. In this case, the state is obliged to create such an infrastructure or it should designate certain buildings with this status; for example, underground and system of underground communications.

On the other hand, society must be prepared for emergency response, which means that every Georgian citizen should know how to act in a particular crisis situation. Take for example, where to go, what to take and how to protect him or her during to various kinds of threats and dangers. The state is responsible for carrying out special preparatory course in public schools and public offices in informing citizens as how they should act during a land or air attack. Besides, a structure should be established that will organize the implementation of a civil disaster response. Civil defense guards of the emergency ministry must be in charge of this job and correspondent department should be responsible for the development of the civil emergency plan.

In addition, state should always have reserve stocks of food and medicines. The government should have a plan where to place people during the evacuation. There must be special bodies and officials who are responsible for supply people with good and services and registering them.

The experience has showed that the Georgian Ministry of Defense had not planned all these components in case of a civil emergency.  Not being aware that a flow of people might result as part of the overall panic that faced people in Tbilisi when the Georgian national army was withdrawing in the direction of Tbilisi.

Irakli Aladashvili, editor-in-chief of the military magazine “Arsenali”, provided some advice to those living in buffer zone even before the conflict started.

“Before the war started, I often wrote in the newspaper “Kviris Parlitra” how to protect ourselves during a war situation. I taught them to clean their basements; to build the walls to protect their houses from the direction where gun-fire was expected; it could protect them from bullets. Besides that I advised people to make crosses on the windows because very often people are injured by smashed glasses and flying glass.  Beds should have been placed in most safe places and away from windows. They should have prepared water and sand to put out fire at any moment. They should have prepared candles, food, water, etc and to be always ready for evacuation.”

Irakli Aladashvili pointed out that during the fighting all components can be necessary.

“People in Tskhinvali region-the scene of war operations-were threatened from almost every source of attack-tanks, artillery, weapon, aircrafts, etc with the exception of naval forces. As for rest of Georgia, like Tbilisi, Poti, Kutaisi, these towns and cities were threatened only from the air.”

According to Aladashvili, our government did not envisage the upcoming danger and population was not evacuated on time.

“It is very difficult to protect people during a war situation. There are two variants of defense. The best way out is to have an evacuation as was carried out by the Ossetian side. They evacuated nearly 2,500 people. Our side did not organize the evacuation. If you leave people in the place it is very difficult to protect them because in modern wars people can be seriously injured because modern weapon can inflict serious damage. New weapons can take exact aim but in the end it is conditional. When artillery starts to fire, it exceeds the target by at least 10-20 meters. But a person, whose house has been hit with the shell of 152 millimeters, can be seriously injured.”

Irakli Sesiashvili considers evacuation as one of the biggest mistakes that caused serious casualties among the civilian population.

“During the war the government should considered the situation and evacuated people from the danger zones. In fact, the population was not evacuated at all.  Moreover, in several cases, army was escaping even before the locals had time to flee.”

Editor of the “Arsenali” draws attention to the geography of Georgia and says that it is our minus.

“The width of Georgia in the narrowest place is just 150 kilometers. A modern reactive plane that has speed 700 kilometers per hour can cross this distance in several seconds. For example, such plane could fly from Caucasus range to Tbilisi in ten minutes. In this case, a system of reporting should be working. It is very difficult for a person who lives in the multi-storied residential building cannot go downstairs or to find shelter somewhere. Nowadays, there is no system of bomb shelters; we do not have old ones either. People have changed old shelters into disco-clubs, warehouses, etc. Experience has showed that people living close to strategic buildings are in more danger. Marneuli, Kopitanari and Poti port were all bombed. Tbilisi aviation factory was bombed twice. Consequently, when our soldiers drove in the direction of Tbilisi, people were scared as they did want soldiers deployed close to their houses because in this case they could become bombing targets. “

In addition, security shelters were not identified in advance. People were not informed how to act in concrete when faced with a critical situation. Even governmental officials did not know what the evacuation plan was. Moreover, Georgian government breached one of the principles of the emergency response when they build military units close to civil infrastructure. Hospitals should not be built near the regions where the situation is tense. However, a hospital was built in Gori.

Irakli Sesiashvili recalled that when rumored information was heard that Russian aviation intended to bomb the Defense Ministry the officials quickly rushed out of the building like mad and went towards the underground. However, officials of the defense ministry completely forgot about the peaceful civilians living near their offices.

“Although bombing went on for several days, the population was not informed where to run if Russian aviation started bombing their houses. The Georgian president stated that occupants intended to bomb Tbilisi and advised people to stay peacefully at home. However, he did not say that if residential buildings will be bombed where inhabitants should run?”

Shelters must be built in peaceful time because during the war it is not enough time for that. Although, underground is considered to be security building it is safe for only those people who live close to it. While, the suburbs where underground station does not run remain unsecure and people have less time to react to warnings.

Irakli Sesiashvili told that although there were two conflict zones in Georgia that might cause some subsequent problems. The term “civil emergency response” is mentioned only in several legal documents and this is only very superficially.

According to Irakli Aladashvili’s prediction, more serious wars also might be discussed for the future. He did not mean wars exactly in Georgia but in a wider area such as at the regional level, etc. Such kinds of hostilities will cause serious casualties because more dangerous weapon will be used. Thus, issue of civil defense and emergency response is still most urgent. “It is not cheap to have shelters but when one day we will need it in critical situation and all incurred expenses will have been paid.”