Flood assessment kicks off

A TEAM of officials from the Office of the Prime Minister and other line ministries were in the North last week to assess the extent of the flood damage in the north-central regions.

The team met the regional councils of Oshana, Omusati, Ohangwena and Oshikoto, town councils and local officials of ministries such as Education, Works, Transport, Health and Agriculture. Team leader Francis Kooper, who is the Deputy Director of the Emergency Management Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister, said the meeting was aimed at gauging the extent of the flood damage, the appropriateness of the response so far, and making recommendations for immediate and longer-term relief.The Chief Regional Officer of Oshana, John Kandombo, told the meeting that the Oshana Region had been severely affected by the flood.The total number of people affected in the Oshana Region stands at 11 255.Farmers in the region have lost 4 826 cattle, 2 019 goats and 460 donkeys so far.Of the 11 255 people affected in the Oshana Region, only 880 could be relocated to the Ongwediva Trade Fair Centre and Oshakati Independence Stadium.They have to be relocated again, to a new site in Oshakati North that can accommodate 1 000 people, according to Kandombo.That site will need 368 tents, water, sanitation, streetlights, fencing, cooking facilities and food.Servicing the new site will cost about N$350 000.The Regional Council is also thinking of upgrading the Ongwediva Trade Fair Centre at a cost of N$3 million so that it can accommodate more flood victims in future.”We do not have money to buy those items, and we are appealing to the Government to assist us in this connection,” Kandombo said.Twenty schools with 1 886 pupils and 161 teachers have been affected by the flood.In the public health sector, three health facilities have been flooded and services at 11 outreach points suspended.According to Kandombo the number of diarrhoea cases reported at clinics is increasing, with 87 cases having been treated.Only nine malaria cases have been reported so far.The Governor of Omusati Region, Sakey Kayone said a lot of traditional huts and mahangu silos collapsed in his region, and people’s clothes, schoolbooks and other valuable items were destroyed.He said a large number of livestock in Omusati’s 12 constituencies died in the floods – 11 664 cattle, 7 171 goats, 1 083 donkeys, 272 sheep and two horses.A poor harvest is expected, posing serious threat to food security in the region.Seven gravel roads have been damaged at several places, causing some villages to be isolated, Kayone said.Education has also been negatively affected by the flood.Kayone said 31 schools have closed, affecting 308 teachers and 8 219 pupils.To cope with the situation, 10 tents were allocated to four schools to be used as either classrooms or teachers’ accommodation in the Etayi and Okalongo constituencies.According to Kayone, malaria and waterborne diseases are posing a great challenge.The Governor said the regional Health Directorate needed a helicopter, all-wheel-drive vehicles, tents, mosquito nets, rubber boots, gas stoves, water containers, water purification tablets and portable toilets to cope with the disastrous situation.Eleven deaths because of the flood have been reported so far in the region.He said the danger of overflowing sewer dams in some towns and settlements was posing a serious health threat.* In the Ohangwena Region, 5 022 people have been affected by the flood.More than 700 houses are under water and 14 schools have been disrupted by the flood.Five clinics have been affected and access to those clinics is very difficult.Four gavel roads have been damaged, while the pump station at Helao Nafidi Town is flooded.Team leader Francis Kooper, who is the Deputy Director of the Emergency Management Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister, said the meeting was aimed at gauging the extent of the flood damage, the appropriateness of the response so far, and making recommendations for immediate and longer-term relief.The Chief Regional Officer of Oshana, John Kandombo, told the meeting that the Oshana Region had been severely affected by the flood.The total number of people affected in the Oshana Region stands at 11 255.Farmers in the region have lost 4 826 cattle, 2 019 goats and 460 donkeys so far.Of the 11 255 people affected in the Oshana Region, only 880 could be relocated to the Ongwediva Trade Fair Centre and Oshakati Independence Stadium.They have to be relocated again, to a new site in Oshakati North that can accommodate 1 000 people, according to Kandombo.That site will need 368 tents, water, sanitation, streetlights, fencing, cooking facilities and food.Servicing the new site will cost about N$350 000.The Regional Council is also thinking of upgrading the Ongwediva Trade Fair Centre at a cost of N$3 million so that it can accommodate more flood victims in future.”We do not have money to buy those items, and we are appealing to the Government to assist us in this connection,” Kandombo said.Twenty schools with 1 886 pupils and 161 teachers have been affected by the flood.In the public health sector, three health facilities have been flooded and services at 11 outreach points suspended.According to Kandombo the number of diarrhoea cases reported at clinics is increasing, with 87 cases having been treated.Only nine malaria cases have been reported so far.The Governor of Omusati Region, Sakey Kayone said a lot of traditional huts and mahangu silos collapsed in his region, and people’s clothes, schoolbooks and other valuable items were destroyed.He said a large number of livestock in Omusati’s 12 constituencies died in the floods – 11 664 cattle, 7 171 goats, 1 083 donkeys, 272 sheep and two horses.A poor harvest is expected, posing serious threat to food security in the region.Seven gravel roads have been damaged at several places, causing some villages to be isolated, Kayone said.Education has also been negatively affected by the flood.Kayone said 31 schools have closed, affecting 308 teachers and 8 219 pupils.To cope with the situation, 10 tents were allocated to four schools to be used as either classrooms or teachers’ accommodation in the Etayi and Okalongo constituencies.According to Kayone, malaria and waterborne diseases are posing a great challenge.The Governor said the regional Health Directorate needed a helicopter, all-wheel-drive vehicles, tents, mosquito nets, rubber boots, gas stoves, water containers, water purification tablets and portable toilets to cope with the disastrous situation.Eleven deaths because of the flood have been reported so far in the region.He said the danger of overflowing sewer dams in some towns and settlements was posing a serious health threat.* In the Ohangwena Region, 5 022 people have been affected by the flood.More than 700 houses are under water and 14 schools have been disrupted by the flood.Five clinics have been affected and access to those clinics is very difficult.Four gavel roads have been damaged, while the pump station at Helao Nafidi Town is flooded.