Strong winds destroy 280 houses, leave 10 families homeless in Maputo

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Strong winds destroy 280 houses, leave 10 families homeless in Maputo

3:09 CAT | 12 Aug 2016

O País

The gale in Maputo province on August 4 destroyed 280 homes, with Mukhatine neighbourhood in the city of Matola one of the worst affected. At least ten families were left homeless and continue to require support.

The marks of destruction are still visible in the yards of Block 3 and residents remember the tragic Wednesday “as if it were today”.

“It was about 1:00 p.m.. Suddenly it began to rain and the children cried out, ‘Mom, the house is falling down’. So I took my children out of the house and, in fact, saw it was falling down,” Anabela Macuácua, one of the storm’s victims, recalls.

The bad weather caught neighbourhood residents off guard. Felismina Benjamin was selling in downtown Maputo when she received news that the wind had brought down a room of her house built with zinc sheets, and the bedroom and kitchen built with more conventional materials. “I did not know what to do. But as there was one room left, we took shelter there and tried to recover some of our things,” she says.

In the only room whose roof withstood the gale, Felismina nevertheless shelters a neighbour with two children who also saw the roof of his house blow off.

After assessing those affected, the government’s National Institute of Disaster Management gave support to some of the victims, but some 30 families are still in need of help.

“We have had some help, but not everyone. We still need tarpaulins and food,” said Manuel Galinha, head of the block.

With no urban planning, water or energy, Mukhatine is one of Matola’s overflow neighbourhoods, with more than 700 resident families.

Source: O País