Georgia, Tbilisi, Sept 11 /Trend N.Kirtzkhalia/
NATO disaster response exercises Georgia-2012 are to be held on September 22 -28. Some 11 teams from 30 countries will participate under the auspices of the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre, the Georgian Defence Ministry said. Such large-scale NATO exercises are held annually.
The purpose of the exercises is to simulate the actions that could occur during natural disasters and to improve coordination between countries in similar situations.
According to the scenario, an earthquake measuring 6.8 will occur at 35 km south of Tbilisi at 14:20 on September 20. Despite the fact that the capital of Georgia had not been greatly damaged, the nearest city to the epicentre Rustavi with a population of over 100,000 people would be in danger due to the nearby chemical plant, factories, as well as the proximity of pipelines, railways and highways.
After a preliminary assessment of the damage, a decision will be made to request international assistance through the Euro-Atlantic Coordination Centre as Georgian rescue services are insufficient. Rescuers from Alliance member states and partner countries will take part in reducing the earthquake consequences. They will be engaged in rescuing people trapped under rubble. Moreover work for decontamination of toxic leaks is also planned to be varied out.