Government responds to Luweero storm
Disaster Preparedness Minister Musa Ecweru (2ndR) and Luweero Triangle Minister Sarah Kataike (L) together with other district officials tour one of the destroyed schools on Wednesday. Photo by Dan Wandera
What you need to know:
Officials say residents are in dire need of help after the Sunday evening storm destroyed crops and property
Luweero- Disaster Preparedness Minister Musa Ecweru and Luweero Triangle Minister Sarah Ndobooli Kataike have dashed to Luweero after a heavy storm destroyed property there on Sunday.
This comes after the government directed the ministries of Disaster Preparedness, Education, Luweero Triangle and that of Local Government to consider emergency interventions for Luweero District following the storm which destroyed a school building, district offices, homes and ravaged gardens.
The State Minister for Higher Education and also the Bamunanika County MP, Dr John Chrysostom Muyingo, on Wednesday tabled before Cabinet a situation report calling for urgent relief.
Dr Muyingo said he had told Cabinet that the victims of the Sunday storm are in dire need of help.
“We tabled before Cabinet the situation report detailing the destruction caused by the storm on Sunday. Our prayers have been answered with the full backing of the President for the different line ministries to send supplies including blankets, tents and food.
The Ministry of Education is also considering interventions for the affected schools,” Dr Muyingo told the Daily Monitor yesterday.
Minister’s word
While visiting the area, Mr Ecweru said: “The Ministry of Disaster Preparedness is sending in an assortment of emergence relief items, including food to the affected families. Cabinet has approved support to ensure that temporally shelters are put in place for the displaced families.”
“The district will also need temporally structures for offices because some of the buildings are already weak,” Mr Ecweru told the district leaders on Wednesday.
Several district officials have temporarily halted office work and remained at home after the Sunday evening storm.
The storm also left Luweero Town in a black-out after several electricity power lines were brought down.
Luweero Deputy RDC Persis Namuganza said several families are still stranded without any shelter although many have been temporally accommodated by well-wishers and relatives.
“We have families which lost their entire property. Some of the children now sleep in the cold,” Ms Namuganza told a district stakeholders meeting on Wednesday.
The incident occurred after a long dry spell across the country.
