Government identifies six provinces to be battered by Cyclone Freddy
THE government has identified six provinces that may be affected by Cyclone Freddy.
The provinces include, Northern, North-Western, Copperbelt, Central, Lusaka, Eastern and Southern Provinces.
Cyclone Freddy is an intense tropical cyclone which hit Madagascar on Tuesday.
According to Reuters, the cyclone has claimed four lives, destroyed 2, 267 buildings and displaced over 11, 500 people.
The tropical storm has also caused some damage in Mauritius, and the United Nations (UN) officials say it will make landfall in Mozambique on February 24, before potentially moving further inland to hit other parts of southern Africa.
Speaking in Parliament today, Minister of Green Economy and Environment Collins Nzovu said the tropical cyclone is expected to hit Madagascar in the next 72 hours and change course to Mozambique.
Answering a query posed by Chama North PF member of parliament Yotam Mtayachalo, Nzovu said the natural disaster is likely to induce moderate rainfall in the identified provinces, a situation that may cause further flooding in flood-prone areas.
“Our advice is that citizens should consider moving from lowland areas to upper lands until the rainy season or floods are over,” Nzovu said.
He added that people should make sure that drainages around dwelling places are clear and implored them not to allow children dive in the flood waters, as they may contract waterborne diseases.
The minister further appealed to people to avoid crossing flooded points and bridges, saying such has already led to loss of life.
Nzovu also encouraged people to drink treated water, especially from shallow wells.
He noted that people ought to call 909, the toll free line for reaching the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU), to make flood-related reports.
Nzovu added that his ministry is working with the DMMU, the Ministry of Health and the Water Resource Management Authority (WARMA), as they continue updating the nation on the trajectory and the impact of Cyclone Freddy.
“Government, by and large, is ready for tropical storm Freddy,” said Nzovu.http://kalemba.news/…/government-identifies-six…/
Kalemba