EARTHQUAKE HITS GEORGIA

Examiner.com
Sept 9 2009

September 9, 2:22 PMLA Eurasian Affairs Examiner Joe Ribakoff

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On September 8th, at around 2 am, the Racha region of Georgia was hit
by a rather sizable earthquake. Armenian sources report the quake as
measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale. The USGA report it as 6.2. Georgian
sources only know that it happened on a Tuesday.

Racha is a mountainous region in northwest Georgia. On its eastern
border is the volatile separatist state of South Ossetia. On the
north is Vladimir Putin’s volatile Russia.

In 2001, Racha was hit by a magnitude 6.8 shaker, which killed
approximately 200 people. In the regions largest city, Oni, buildings
damaged in that quake still remain unrepaired. Although Georgia is
seismically active, earthquakes above 6.0 are rare. Racha’s 2001
shaker is the largest to have hit the region.

Georgian authorities report no fatalities in Tuesday’s
quake. However, one woman broke a leg after jumping from a
second floor balcony. Nonetheless, it is reported that over
1,000 homes have been damaged and around 400 families have
been left homeless. Notwithstanding, Georgia’s Messenger Online
(messenger.com.ge) reports minimum damage in the region and instructs
us how to say this in Georgian:

earthquake mitzisdzvra

West dasavleti

to cause gamotzveva, shedegis motana ?????????, ??????? ??????

destruction ngreva

The earthquake hit western Georgia, causing no casualties and no
major destruction.

mitzisdzvras romelits dasavlet sakartveloshi mokhda, ar gamoutzvevia
mskhverpli da seriozuli ngreva.