Disasters displace more than 9,000 in Rwanda

KIGALI: Weather related disasters that hit Rwanda earlier this week have displaced more than 9,000 people in different provinces of the country, an official has said.

“About 5,598 families were displaced and are hosted at different sites. The government has distributed aid to many of those displaced, including feeding and other basic necessities,” Marie Solange Kayisire, the Minister in charge of Emergency Management told a news conference Saturday in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda.

The minister said plans to resettle those affected as well as an assessment to determine the particular support each family needs are ongoing.

“Those who were living in rented accommodation will be supported to rent in, while those whose own houses were destroyed will also be supported to get decent housing,” she said.

At least 131 people were killed and 94 others injured when flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rains hit Western, Northern and Southern provinces of Rwanda on Tuesday and Wednesday, the minister said at a press conference on the latest updates.

Some 34 people are still admitted in health facilities while one is still missing, she said, adding that more than 5,550 houses, 14 roads and more than 50 schools were destroye and the disasters also destroyed crops, water and power infrastructures.

The government has appealed to residents living in high risk zones to relocate to safe areas.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Infrastructure Ernest Nsabimana said the government needs about 110 billion Rwandan francs (about 98.3 million U.S. dollars) to rebuild infrastructure damaged by this week’s disasters in the country.

The amount includes 41 billion Rwandan francs for damaged national roads, 38 billion Rwandan francs for rebuilding bridges, and 5 billion Rwandan francs for power infrastructure, Nsabimana said during the press conference.

Photo:- AFP

-Xinhua