There will now be 90,000 additional sandbags available for flood relief.
It was announced by Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Khadijah Ameen.
She tells us about an expansion of training, assessment of shelters, plans for added infrastructural work and the response of the Regional Corporations in moving forward.
00:00The Ministry of Rural Development and local government wants people to respond more proactively in protecting their properties from natural disasters like flooding.
00:13We will be issuing 90,000 additional sandbags throughout the country in addition to the normal sandbags issued to regional corporations.
00:29Sandbags are free to the public. We are reminding people in flood-prone areas to not wait until the water is at your doorstep to come for your sandbags.
00:40And the corporations have been tasked with ensuring that the bags are filled with sand upon distribution. If you're wondering why...
00:48Members of the public, these are sandbags. These are not crocus bags to be used for chicken feed, to be used to put rubbish.
00:58These are sandbags. There are people who come and request empty sandbags and go and do their own thing with it.
01:05Minister Khadija Amin has met with disaster management coordinators and field officers from all 14 municipal corporations to address flood mitigation strategies, performance and concerns based on the last few adverse weather events.
01:21She believes flood impact assessments should begin as soon as the water starts receding.
01:28When I am getting calls seven and eight days after a flood from people who have not been assessed, to me that is not good enough.
01:36There is a shared app between the disaster management units and the Ministry of the People, which both have officials on the ground during natural disasters.
01:46What I intend to do is to reduce the number of days it takes from the water receding to completing the assessments.
01:57In that regard we have identified where we need to build up in terms of personnel and in training.
02:05We plan to have a joint training with the Ministry of the People, training personnel from the Ministry of Local Government, one in the use of the app as well as in doing the actual assessments.
02:20This is expected to take place within the next few weeks of July, with the aim of standardizing the process for the various aspects of damage and eliminating the number of queries.
02:31We have agreed to engage additional employees from within the regional corporation to be trained to do assessments as well as volunteers.
02:42As it pertains to a call for the training of shelter managers, Amin tells us 485 people responded and of that number 268 people were trained in June.
02:55But there are additional plans for shelters that would decrease the need for regional corporations to transport relief items to impacted residents.
03:05We are reviewing the role of disaster shelters in terms of putting, bringing relief supplies there to be distributed to the homes of the flood victims such as hot meals, grocery items, cleaning supplies, mattresses and so on.
03:27According to the minister, an assessment of the shelters, including community centers, will also be undertaken to ensure that they are fit for use.
03:35Amin says infrastructural works have begun at major watercourses through the Works Ministry to treat with aspects like the riverbanks and floodgates.
03:45They are looking in part at the Karani, Oropuch and Ottawa rivers.
03:50And the minister is waiting to see what impact the works done at the Oruka River will have.
Be the first to comment