UNM Summons Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri to Parliament in Connection with Shovi Tragedy

1. A key component of best practices in reducing human loss from landslides and other natural disasters is having an appropriate national monitoring and early warning system in place. In 2021, when presenting the ten-year plan of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, you stated: “An early warning SMS system will be introduced, which will notify users within a dangerous area about an actual or potential threat.” Why was the said warning system not implemented, which according to you and other top officials of the government could have played a decisive role in saving people's lives during the tragedy that occurred in Shovi on August 3, 2023?
2. The landslide in Shovi developed on August 3, 2023, around 15:00; According to publicly available information and eyewitness testimony, the relevant services started the rescue work three hours late. What caused the delay in the search and rescue operation?
3. According to the Prime Minister of Georgia, the authorities did not see the need to ask for help from the neighboring states while conducting the search and rescue operation in response to the Shovi disaster. As the Minister of Internal Affairs, under whose authority the Emergency Management Agency operates, based on what concrete measures and their individual or joint effectiveness did you take the said decision along with other relevant government officials?
4. What is the condition of the rescue equipment of the Emergency Management Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and how in line is it with international standards? What kind of search and rescue helicopters does the state own and are they equipped with modern communication, navigation, including night vision equipment?
5. By decree No. 2632 of 2015, the contract GG-B-UCL regarding the grant allocated by the government of the United States of America to the government of Georgia – ‘’Purchase of two HUEY II search and rescue helicopters’’ was approved, which was canceled on November 11, 2016, by decree of the government of Georgia No. 2363. Based on what circumstances did the state refuse to purchase two search-and-rescue helicopters (HUEY II) on a grant basis? Was the Ministry of Internal Affairs involved in the said decision-making process and what was the official position of the Ministry?

On August 3, in Racha, the mudslide from Buba mountain almost completely destroyed the Shovi resort. The rescue operation started 3 hours late, and after nightfall, the pilots suspended the rescue efforts because the helicopters could not fly safely at night. So far, 25 bodies have been found and 8 people are still missing. Government officials maintain that avoiding the tragedy was impossible, which independent experts don’t agree with.