adminNoah Pito in HURUNGWE
Hurungwe District Civil Protection Unit has started mobilising resources to assist 308 households that were affected by a hailstorm that hit Nyamakate area last week.
The hailstorm also led to the destruction of at least 230 hectares of maize and 70 hectares of tobacco. Hurungwe CPU chairperson, who is also the areas district administrator, Ms Makepeace Muzenda, yesterday said her team had completed gathering statistics on the damage caused by the storm and was in the process of writing to different organisations for assistance.
“We are sending the statistics to the Provincial Administrators office for further direction. Two families completely lost their homes and we are engaging Red Cross for urgent supply of tarpaulin since the families no longer have roofs over their heads.
“In the case of those whose foodstuffs were destroyed, we are going to chip in with part of grain reserves meant for the vulnerable people. We trust we will get more assistance from well-wishers,” she said.
Ms Muzenda said the CPU was engaging GMB to establish if there were some remaining stocks of seed from the Presidential Inputs Scheme.
“If GMB still has some seed maize from the Presidential Input Scheme we will be requesting them to release some so that we can assist the Nyamakate families. There is still enough time to plant and harvest particularly if short season varieties are used. Some can also resort to crops like beans that can mature over short periods.
“The most affected areas were villages 20a, 20b, 22a, 22b, and 23,” she said.
By end of day on Thursday last week, there were still reports that masses of ice from Monday’s (last week) hailstorm could still be found in some parts of Nyamakate. Several areas in Mashonaland West province have been ravaged by rains accompanied by strong winds while in some cases hailstorms have been reported. Property worth thousands of dollars including schools, houses and crops have been destroyed by the rains.
The Meteorological Services Department has warned of heavy thunderstorms and urged people to take the necessary precautions.
Online Reporter