via Floods victims get relief – NewsDay Zimbabwe January 8, 2015 by Phillip Chidavaenzi
THE Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) yesterday said it had started rolling out relief materials such as tents, blankets and toiletries to hundreds of families displaced by floods in Mashonaland West and Mashonaland Central provinces.
ZRCS spokesperson Takemore Mazuruse said the society’s volunteers were also helping with the construction of shelters for people whose houses were washed away in the floods.
He, however, said they were still carrying out an assessment exercise to establish the extent of the needs and required intervention.
“The preliminary distribution of relief materials is being done while detailed assessments are being carried for meaningful intervention,” he said.
The support has also been extended to affected families in Mbare, Hopley and Epworth in Harare as well as areas like Bazwe and Nyambudzi in Mashonaland Central where people from 50 homes that have been destroyed have since been relocated to a nearby school.
The Civil Protection Unit (CPU) says over 300 families have been affected by floods countrywide due to incessant rains.
Mazuruse said they had since established that in Kapembere, 56 homes were destroyed, in Chiwenga 39, Maungaunga 25, Dambakurima 43 and four homes in Chadereka in Mashonaland Central.
“Mbire is the worst affected and the trail covers eight wards where as of yesterday 32 wards were submerged in water, 72 toilets collapsed and 350 households have been affected and several hectares of crops destroyed,” he said.
Kapembere area has received tarpaulins, kitchen sets and water buckets from the CPU of which the ZRCS is a member.
Mazuruse said the organisation has partnered the CPU, International Organisation for Migration, FOST, Save the Children and World Vision in rendering assistance in hard hit areas in Kanongo, Chitsungo and Chikafa.
He said in Mashonaland West, 21 households in Mucheti Village along Chinhoyi Chegutu Highway have been affected while flooded areas in Manicaland has been inaccessible by road.
“In Chipinge, Save River water level remains a threat and areas with collapsed structures as taken from volunteer reports where still to be accessed with a hope to do that today,” he said.
He added that the ZRCS was expecting some financial resources from the International Federation of the Red Cross’ Disaster Relief Fund to enhance their intervention as competing needs outweighed available resources.
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