Lean Environmental Solutions

Guide · Georgia

Flood and flash flood

Floods wash away crops, animals, soil and stores several times a year in Georgia.

Who and when

Valley-floor greenhouses and vegetables, riverside vineyards, melons. Worst in the Alazani valley (Lagodekhi, Kvareli, Gurjaani, Telavi) and Imereti. April to May, and July to September.

Getting worse.

Right now

Right now (autumn 2026)

  • 12–13 Apr 2026: the Alazani flooded orchards, vineyards and greenhouses in Kakheti. On 12 Jul 2026 a flash flood hit Telavi vineyards.
  • Next year's insurance premium for orchards and vineyards is due after harvest and by 31 Dec 2026. Flood is covered.
Before

Before: get ready

Crops and trees

  1. Walk your ditches and furrows while they are dry (late Oct–Nov). Mark leaks, low spots, and places where water ponds or soil washes out.
  2. Keep furrows and drains clear. Rebuild beds after heavy rain (general practice, check locally).
  3. On wet plots, try raised beds before sowing (general practice, check locally).
  4. Don't put a new home or new crops on land that floods.

Animals and stores

  1. Keep pens, hay and night corrals off stream beds.
  2. Store fodder, seed and fuel above the last flood line (general practice, check locally).
  3. Get the warnings: the METEO.GOV.GE app (up to 3 days ahead). On a warning, move animals before the rain.

Money: state agro-insurance covers flood; the state pays 70% of the premium. You need registered land and a Farm Registry entry, and cover starts 4 days after you buy. Plant the Future closed on 1 Jul 2026; the State Agro Co-financing Programme replaced it.

During

During: when it hits

  1. Move people to higher ground at once. Switch off electricity, gas and water if you can do it safely. Call 112.
  2. Stay away from riverbanks and gorges during a warning.
  3. Don't try to cross moving water by car.
  4. Open gates so animals can reach high ground and are not trapped (general practice, check locally).
After

After: recover

First days

  • Take photos with date, time and place. Leave damaged crops until the assessor has seen them.
  • Don't switch on a flooded pump until an electrician checks it. Drink bottled or boiled water (general practice, check locally).
  • Throw away food crops whose edible part touched floodwater, root crops too. Seal flooded beehives (general practice, check locally).
  • Check wet hay and grain for mould.
  • Dead animals: sudden death with blood from the openings may be anthrax; don't open the body. Never bury carcasses where floods reach, and never sell or eat the meat. Call the National Food Agency.

First weeks

  • Clean the well with unscented bleach overnight, flush it away from streams, and test the water twice, about 2 weeks apart (general practice, check locally).
  • Silt under 5 cm: mix it in. Over 10 cm of sand: it may need removing. Test the soil (general practice, check locally).
  • Wait 30–60 days before replanting vegetables in a flooded field (general practice, check locally).

Money and help

  • Report fast. Write down every call (date, name) and follow up in writing. A local commission assesses damage; your photos may be the only record.
  • Claim through your insurer; your deadline is in the policy (ask the insurer or RDA on 1501). Uninsured farms have had help from municipalities and the Red Cross. No state flood aid for farmers found for 2024–2026.
Build back better

Build back better

  • Don't rebuild homes or replant crops on flood-prone land.
  • Clean ditches, reinforce banks, fit gutters, keep rubbish out of ditches.
  • Insure crops before every season.

What the farm check looks for

Plot, greenhouse, pens or stores on a valley floor or riverbank; no drainage or exit plan. Crops not insured.

Get a free farm check

Sources