Kwekwe district Civil Protection Unit is on high alert following warnings by meteorologists that Tropical Cyclone Freddy is likely to cause ‘heavy to extreme’ rains in Zimbabwe.
Speaking to Impact Stories Zimbabwe, Kwekwe CPU chairperson Mr Fortune Mupungu, said that the CPU committee has been activated at all levels of its jurisdiction, in case of floods hit any part of the district.
“We have identified a number of evacuation centres in our schools and colleges such as Rio Tinto and our boarding facilities in case there are serious flood problems in the district.
“We have since activated our civil protection committee and we are cascading it to the ward level where we have activated ward CPUs presided over by councillors and our traditional leaders.
“We have also been distributing our updates on weather conditions to citizens so that they can be on high alert,” said Mupungu.
Weather experts say that Cyclone Freddy is the most energetic cyclone on record in the southern hemisphere and is expected to bring heavy rains to Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique.
Efforts have also been made to caution students in rural areas not to cross flooded rivers to avoid unnecessary loss of life
“We have communicated with the ministry of education to warn children that they should not cross flooded rivers and even adults should not cross flooded rivers. They should stay indoors when there is lightning and thunder to avoid loss of life.
“We have been alerting people near major waterways such as Kwekwe and Munyati rivers and other small streams and dams so that they can be on high alert. We also have low-lying areas such as Silobela and Empress. All those areas are on high alert,” he added.
Mupungu revealed that the district has not yet recorded any flood-related disasters.
“We have not yet heard of any flood-related disaster so far but we remain on high alert and hoping that nothing serious happens in our district,” he said.
Meanwhile, Meteorological Services Department Chief Forecaster James Ngoma was recently quoted on a local news platform saying the department is closely monitoring the situation.
