Seasonal Rains Bring Good News And Bad News

IT IS heartening that Windhoek and some areas of the country have had better-than-average January rainfalls, but it is always distressing when life and property are lost as the result of fairly severe flooding, as occurred in the capital this week.

Generally speaking, Namibia has to cope with the effects of serious drought, and the accompanying hardship that results from this almost perennial event, but when the rains come, as they did with a vengeance this week, we find ourselves unprepared for the aftermath. As far as we are aware at the time of writing, one life was forfeit, but that in itself is unfortunate; and many other people, particularly shack dwellers, lost their shelter due to the downpour.Some of the rains’ repercussions were undoubtedly preventable, others not.Regular checking by municipal authorities of stormwater drains is obviously vital at times like these.Sadly, because it is such an unusual occurrence, people take their lives into their hands by attempting to cross swollen rivers, which, when they are in flood, results in loss of life and property.One or two readers have taken exception to our front-page photograph yesterday, showing a woman whose body had washed down the river after she tried to cross and was swept away, only to be drowned.The photograph – quite contrary to the accusation of one of our readers that it was published for ‘entertainment’ value (see Latest Letters) – was in fact a vivid illustration of the tragedy that can result from such a natural disaster.A small picture on the same front page showed a slightly more optimistic picture with a ‘good news’ aspect, when a man, who was swept downriver when his car was caught by currents, managed to get out of the vehicle and hold on to be rescued by emergency services.Featuring the plight of people who lost homes and property, particularly shack dwellers, often sparks the consciences of those who can be assured of going home to roofs over their heads and dry beds, prompting them to assist those in times of need.Unlike droughts, which bring only hardship to farmers, animals, crops and people who face restrictions and lack of access to one of our most essential resources, namely water, better-than-good rains leading to floods do relieve the drought that much of the country has been facing, but also bring pain and suffering to many.Obviously the answer lies in preparedness, in acting to minimise hardship in situations such as these, and in the willingness of those not directly afflicted by calamity to assist those who have been caught unawares.Members of the public often come forward in numbers to contact this newspaper in cases of need and to inform us of developments that ought to be brought to the broadest possible attention.We always appreciate the fact that people have been so responsive, and hope in turn that their energetic endeavours will bring help and relief to those in perilous situations.Finally, although we do not yet have indications whether the whole country has received enough rainfall to break the back of the drought in all cases, many areas did receive higher-than-average falls and that this will have come as a welcome relief to thousands.As far as we are aware at the time of writing, one life was forfeit, but that in itself is unfortunate; and many other people, particularly shack dwellers, lost their shelter due to the downpour. Some of the rains’ repercussions were undoubtedly preventable, others not. Regular checking by municipal authorities of stormwater drains is obviously vital at times like these. Sadly, because it is such an unusual occurrence, people take their lives into their hands by attempting to cross swollen rivers, which, when they are in flood, results in loss of life and property. One or two readers have taken exception to our front-page photograph yesterday, showing a woman whose body had washed down the river after she tried to cross and was swept away, only to be drowned. The photograph – quite contrary to the accusation of one of our readers that it was published for ‘entertainment’ value (see Latest Letters) – was in fact a vivid illustration of the tragedy that can result from such a natural disaster. A small picture on the same front page showed a slightly more optimistic picture with a ‘good news’ aspect, when a man, who was swept downriver when his car was caught by currents, managed to get out of the vehicle and hold on to be rescued by emergency services. Featuring the plight of people who lost homes and property, particularly shack dwellers, often sparks the consciences of those who can be assured of going home to roofs over their heads and dry beds, prompting them to assist those in times of need. Unlike droughts, which bring only hardship to farmers, animals, crops and people who face restrictions and lack of access to one of our most essential resources, namely water, better-than-good rains leading to floods do relieve the drought that much of the country has been facing, but also bring pain and suffering to many. Obviously the answer lies in preparedness, in acting to minimise hardship in situations such as these, and in the willingness of those not directly afflicted by calamity to assist those who have been caught unawares. Members of the public often come forward in numbers to contact this newspaper in cases of need and to inform us of developments that ought to be brought to the broadest possible attention. We always appreciate the fact that people have been so responsive, and hope in turn that their energetic endeavours will bring help and relief to those in perilous situations. Finally, although we do not yet have indications whether the whole country has received enough rainfall to break the back of the drought in all cases, many areas did receive higher-than-average falls and that this will have come as a welcome relief to thousands.