CPU rescues 34 marooned villagers in Beitbridge
Wednesday, 23 January 2013 00:00
Herald Reporters
The Beitbridge Civil Protection Unit yesterday rescued 34 villagers marooned
for the past three days on a delta along the Limpopo River in
Tshikwalakwala. The rescue mission which lasted 30 minutes was conducted
with the assistance of a helicopter from the Air Force of Zimbabwe.
The victims were airlifted from Mapho area to safety atTshikwalakwala
Clinic.
The villagers, most of them from seven families, were left stranded when
their six huts were destroyed by torrential rains which have been pounding
the district for the past eight days.
The Air Force of Zimbabwe has been kept busy since Monday when it rescued
five people who were stranded across the Bubi River after a bridge was swept
away by floods in Tshikwalakwala.
AFZ dispatched a helicopter that rescued the stranded villagers after the
Civil Protection Unit had raised alarm.
The district received 139mm of rain between Saturday and Sunday night.
The latest figures bring to 110 people stranded following the heavy rains in
Beitbridge East this week.
A bridge at Tshikwalakwala linking Beitbridge and Chiredzi district through
the Bubi River was also swept away on Monday morning.
Beitbridge Civil Protection Unit chairman Mr Simon Muleya said nine people
had died due to flooding in the area.
The CPU had distributed 130 tents, mosquito nets, kitchen utensils and
several blankets for the victims from the International Organisation for
Migration and Red Cross Zimbabwe.
The district also received a truck from their national office to transport
supplies to all the affected areas.
Mr Muleya said the victims also received food hampers, 480 bars of soap, 990
fleece blankets and 1 000 buckets among other non-food stuffs.
He said authorities were mobilising resources to build two-roomed houses for
the victims.
Beitbridge Senator Cde Tambudzani Mohadi also donated food hampers and
clothing items to the floods victims at Tshikwalakwala and Chituripasi.
The heavy rains have also left a trail of destruction in the district where
most roads were left impassable.
AFZ director of operations Group Captain Alphious Gwata said that they would
remain on alert.
“In the face of warnings from the Meteorological Services Department that
rains will continue, AFZ will remain ready to dispatch personnel and
equipment to save lives of those threatened by floods,” he said.
During the past week, AFZ has also conducted three rescue operations along
the Save River in Manicaland and Gokwe’s Chirara area, rescuing more than 80
people from the danger of floods.
According to a Meteorological Services Department report, clear weather was
expected to prevail starting yesterday until the weekend when more rains are
expected.
“During this period, most of the rains should be confined mainly to the
Mashonaland Provinces, Harare, and the North of Manicaland,” the report
stated.
The Met Dept recorded rainfall activity that occurred over most parts of the
country with the highest falls being recorded at Wedza, which had 32mm,
Buhera 27mm, Kadoma 21mm and Zvishavane 19mm.
The Met Dept, however, advised that the rains would increase from Sunday
onwards and urged people residing in low-lying areas to seek shelter on
higher ground should they notice that their areas were under threat of
flooding.
The weather experts also warned people against taking shelter under trees
during a thunderstorm to avoid being struck by lightning.
Expectations are that there should be a gradual increase in rainfall
activity to cover much of the country from 27 January onwards.
Ninety-six people have drowned while 33 were struck by lightning across the
country since the beginning of the rainy season.
The heavy rains have also destroyed 180 houses in Tsholotsho leaving the
families homeless.
In Beitbridge, Zimbabwe and South Africa were on Monday forced to stop both
vehicular and human traffic after the bridge at the border post was flooded
on Sunday night.
The CPU has also reported major flooding of rivers in Gokwe such as Ume,
Sesame and Sengwa with several people being marooned on some of them.
According to the police, most people drowned after attempting to cross
flooded rivers, while others had vehicles they were travelling in swept away
in flooded rivers and bridges.
The Met Dept has warned that both private and public vehicles should not
attempt to cross-flooded or low-lying bridges.
It has also warned people against attempting to cross-flooded streams or
rivers, and to quickly move to higher ground if they notice their area
becoming flooded.
Motorists were advised to refrain from parking their vehicles under big old
trees which were likely to give way to heavy winds and to desist from
attempting to cross flooded, low lying bridges.
Police have received reports of 14 people who have drowned after their
vehicles were swept away at flooded rivers and bridges in separate incidents
this month.
Tobacco farmers were urged to seek insurance for their crop against hail
damage to avoid loss from the expected rains.
The highest rainfall totals recorded from 1 October to 21 January are:
Mukandi – 973 mm
Hwange – 893 mm, Gokwe – 764 mm, Nyanga – 756 mm, Chisengu – 734 mm,
Rusape – 694 mm, Murehwa – 657 mm, Henderson – 650mm, Mutoko – 627 mm and
Harare Belvedere – 624 mm.