Harare Mayor urges residents in flood-prone areas to evacuate

TAKUDZWA HILLARY CHIWANZA

HARARE – In response to relentless rainfall, Harare’s Mayor, Councillor Jacob Mafume, has issued an urgent call for residents in flood-prone areas to evacuate. Areas particularly at risk include Budiriro Paddocks and Kuwadzana Paddocks.

Harare mayor urges residents to evacuate as floods loom

The Harare City Council, in collaboration with the Civil Protection Unit (CPU), has established two evacuation camps at Budiriro 2 Primary School and Kuwadzana 3 Primary School.

These camps aim to provide shelter for residents from low-lying areas vulnerable to flooding.

Mayor Mafume warned that the impending floods could severely impact areas such as Budiriro and Hopely, along with other regions inhabited by people residing in wetlands.

“These floods are serious; we have already as a city lost two lives to the last flood that occurred a few days ago and a huge amount of property and houses have been destroyed,” Mafume stated, underlining the gravity of the situation.

Last week, two fatalities were reported in Highfield and Budiriro, including a six-year-old boy in Budiriro who was swept away by the floods. His body was recovered five kilometres away on Tuesday.

Mayor Mafume emphasized the importance of safeguarding residents from the flood risks.

“We have created two camps with the assistance of the Civil Protection Unit,” he said.

“We encourage those living in vulnerable areas to make their way towards these areas [evacuation camps].”

The CPU has provided food at the camps, and the city has contributed beef through its cattle.

“We will monitor the food situation there and continue to encourage people to move from low-lying areas and to go to these protection centres,” Mafume added.

He urged residents to limit their movements and stay alert due to the severity of the rains.

“The rains are serious and devastating, and I encourage people not to move around unless necessary and keep alert so that we will not lose lives and other property.”

The Meteorological Service Department of Zimbabwe (MSDZ) recently announced that the heavy rains the country is experiencing are expected to persist until December 30, 2023.