Heavy Rains Continue Destroying Property

Strong winds and heavy rains have blown off roofs at Jongola and Munyumbwe community primary schools in Gwembe district. Gwembe District Education Board Secretary Benson Zemba has confirmed the development to ZANIS. Mr. Zemba, who yesterday visited the school the roofs of the two schools have been damaged by the heavy rains.

“It’s a sad development and we will urgently need assistance,” Mr. Zemba said.

Mr. Zemba said that District Disaster Management Committee is yet to make an assessment to ascertain the extent of damage caused by the torrential rains.

Extremely strong winds crashed through Gwembe during early hours of yesterday, blowing off roofs at Jongola and Munyumbwe community schools disturbing normal learning of the pupils at the institutions.

The rains have also uprooted a substantial number of trees in the district and left gullies on Boma-Munyumbwe road.

Meanwhile, Gwembe district has received relief food from Government through the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU). 

The food includes 1,000 x 10 kilogram bags of mealie-meal, 15 x 100kgs bags of beans as well as cooking oil. 

This came to light in Gwembe yesterday during a District Disaster Management Committee meeting chaired by area District Commissioner, Timothy Siakaziba. 

Mr. Siakaziba said the relief food would evenly be distributed to the 16 wards in the district. 

The DC commended the Office of the Vice President for the food relief and appealed for more owing to the onset of the rains, the district is experiencing. 

And Kapiri Mposhi,heavy rains have blown off a roof at Twanfwane Community School in Kapiri Mposhi district forcing over 450 learners out of classrooms, while 16 families have been left in the cold in Riverside compound .

Kapiri Mposhi District Commissioner, Smart Mwila who has visited the two areas to assess the extent of damage has confirmed both incidents to ZANIS.

Mr Mwila said learning materials and teaching aids worth thousands of Kwacha have been soaked at Twanfwane School in the process.

“Learning materials have been damaged, the incident happened on Sunday around 19:00 hours such that the community failed to respond quickly to salvage the materials so it’s quite a crisis,” Mr Mwila said.

And school Parents Teachers Association (PTA) Chairperson Highson Han’gandu disclosed that the school management was currently conducting lessons in open spaces which has proved difficulty due to persistent rains being experienced in the area.

Mr Han’gandu said over 450 pupils have been affected at the learning institution that runs from grade one to seven.

“It’s just impossible to have lessons because it has continued to rain so most of the pupils have just opted to stay home,” Mr Han’gandu said.

And about 16 families have been left in the cold after heavy rain blew off roofs from their houses in Riverside compound in Kapiri mposhi district.

Meanwhile, Mr Mwila has assured the affected school and households of government’s support.

“Government sympathizes with the community because the situation will result in learners abandoning schools the situation which will in turn lead to early marriages and pregnancies,” Mr Mwila said.

He has since engaged the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) and other stakeholders for assistance in the two incidents.

This article originally appeared on Lusaka Times