Residents of Abkhazia reproach authorities for delay with compensations after disasters

The help to victims of natural calamities will be allocated from the reserve fund of the President of Abkhazia, the authorities have informed. However, some residents of Abkhazia, interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot", complain that issues of help allocation are solved for months.

Due to the hurricane on July 4, a total of 95 private and 57 high-rise buildings were damaged, a source from the presidential administration of Abkhazia told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. Funds for eliminating the consequences of the natural calamity will be allocated from the president's reserve fund. No more than 50,000 roubles of compensation can be allocated per person, he has added.

Tamara Arshba, a resident of Sukhumi, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that she would not wait for help from the president's reserve fund and had already turned to her relatives for help in restoring her house. “Authorities can solve this issue for months, but I cannot live without a roof,” she said.

The hostess of the guest house in Sukhumi named Sariya told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the hurricane had damaged the roof of the guest house itself, as well as of the outbuildings, windows were smashed, while fallen trees damaged her car parked in the yard. She estimates the damage at millions of roubles. “I won’t submit any applications to the administration, because the commission will go, demand certificates, documents, and then they will refuse to grant compensation, or give a penny. I will take a loan, borrow money from relatives and urgently restore the house – the tourist season is underway already,” Ms Sariya has stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 10, 2021 at 02:59 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.