Zimbabwe: Harare Mayor Calls On Residents in Low-Lying Areas to Evacuate Due to Incessant Rains

CITY of Harare (CoH) and the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) have established two evacuation centres following an alert on potential floods in the capital due to continuous rains.

The camps at Budiriro 2 Primary School and Kuwadzana 3 Primary School will provide shelter to residents in flood-prone low-lying areas.

Harare mayor Jacob Mafume Thursday, encouraged residents in low-lying areas to evacuate.

“The CPU has alerted the city to impending floods due to incessant rains. These are going to affect low-lying areas in particular Budiriro, Hopley and people who are situated in wetlands.

“These floods are serious and we have already lost two lives to the last flood which occurred a few days ago and huge amounts of property and houses were destroyed.

“We have created two camps with the assistance of the CPU.

“The camps are in Budiriro 2 Primary School and Kuwadzana 3 Primary School. We encourage those who are living in vulnerable areas to make their way towards those areas.

“There is food that has been provided by the CPU and as a city we have contributed beef through our 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 said.

Last week, 19 families in Budiriro and Kuwadzana had to be rescued by the ZRP Sub-Aqua Unit after their houses were submerged in water after heavy rains.

A six-year-old from Budiriro died after he was allegedly swept away by flood waters.

In Highfields, another person was also reportedly swept away and died last week.
By New Zimbabwe.