By SAM PHIRI –
JUST when the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) was almost getting on top of things concerning the ravaging flash floods that hit parts of Southern Province in Zambia, a more shattering natural disaster is looming.
Tropical storm Ana is expected to increase rainfall which is likely to cause flooding in its path.
A tropical storm is an organized centre of low pressure that originates over warm tropical oceans.
The maximum sustained surface winds of tropical storms range from 63 to 118 km (39 to 73 miles) per hour.
The winds transfer heat and moisture from the sea surface to the atmosphere.
This is different from a cyclone which is a large scale air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
DMMU National Coordinator Gabriel Pollen is likely to be a busy bee in the coming month in the 36 districts which have been projected to be affected by Ana, which has caused severe damage to infrastructure in neighbouring Mozambique, Malawi and the island of Madagascar.
The reality of such disasters can better be told and understood by those who just a few years ago – in 2019 – suffered a similar devastating calamity of Cyclone Idai in the same region where Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe where affected.
For some reason, the Cyclone Idai spared Zambia but left a trail of utter destruction in the three neighbouring countries.
The Zambian Government, through the DMMU, had to carry out humanitarian missions to Malawi and Zimbabwe where food and medical supplies were donated.
This was after the then Malawi president Peter Mutarika declared a state of disaster.
The Zambia Meteorological Department has warned that the country will be affected by tropical storm Ana, which could cause destruction to property and infrastructure, displace people and cost lives in its path.
Eastern Province, which borders Mozambique and Malawi, is on red alert!
Many people, especially in Katete and Petauke, are worried and wondering whether similar disastrous effects recorded in Malawi would befall them.
More than 60 people in Malawi have lost their lives and about 82,000 have been displaced, having lost all their property, from their houses to their crops and livestock.
Amos Banda, a building contractor in Katete, said most houses in the districts are built using poor quality materials that are highly susceptible to moisture and strong winds.
“Most of these houses have been built close to river banks and there is too much deforestation such that we expect a number of houses that are not properly constructed to have their roofs blown off or completely collapse,” Mr Banda said.
Mr Banda also foresees hunger in the area and envisages a situation where should the storm be heavy, most crops that have already germinated and reasonably grown are likely to be destroyed.
This is why on Tuesday, Dr Pollen started heightening the early warning alerts through the media especially to people living in low lying areas which are susceptible to flooding to start moving to high ground as his office mobilises relief measures.
This is a mammoth and budget straining undertaking which lies squarely on the office of the Vice President.
With such a major responsibility ahead, Dr Pollen has implored citizens and cooperating partners to supplement Government efforts in providing humanitarian aid in form of food or non-food items to areas that would need support.
The DMMU national coordinator says the Government is already stressed with the intensity and frequency of disasters due to the climate change factor which is adversely affecting the weather pattern.
“In as much as Government is doing everything possible to help all citizens affected by disasters, there is need for concerted efforts from the stakeholders to ensure that the lives of people affected by disasters are restored,” he says.
According to information given to the DMMU by the Zambia Meteorological Department, tropical storm Ana is expected to affect Zambia through Petauke, Chadiza, Katete and Chipata starting from the January 24 till January 30, 2022.
Dr Pollen says the storm is projected to traverse the southern borders of the country from east to west, affecting provinces that include Eastern, Central, Lusaka, Southern, Western and some parts of Copperbelt and North Western.
“This far, we have also enhanced preparedness activities that include prepositioning of food and non- food items in strategic areas for possible and timely response in an event that the situation worsens, with repeated calls to the cooperating partners to come on board,” he says.
Some corporate entities are already responding to the DMMU national coordinator through donations to the unit.
On Tuesday, Western Seed Company was at the DMMU offices to donate five tonnes of mealie meal and six tonnes of early maturing maize seed all valued at about K300,000.
The seed company’s donation was immediately directed to help flash floods victims in Namwala and Mbabala in Southern Province.
Western Seed Company Chief Executive Officer Shelly Jackman says although her company commenced operations recently in 2018, she felt obliged to support the local farmers who are affected by the floods.
Ms Jackman is optimistic that the early maturing seed variety would at least help the affected farmers to plant the crop and ensure that they are food secure.
With the anticipated tropical storm is likely to batter the Southern Province like a second wave, more preparedness should be imminent in the area.
DMMU is already on the ground working out ways through mitigating the looming disaster that is expected to affect the 36 districts across Zambia.
Vice President WK Mutale Nalumango has already inspected the food storage facilities to ensure there is enough stock especially of food in the wake of the natural calamity.
All possible measures seem to have been put in place.
However, what is not known and will never be known until it happens, is the magnitude of the disaster that tropical storm Ana would bring.
Not until then will Dr Pollen and his team know how much would be needed to adequately mitigate the effects of the looming Ana.
