12 Jan 2016

The government is committed to assisting disaster affected communities within 24 hours of the event, says the permanent secretary for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Ms Kebonye Moepeng.

 She also urged communities to inform the disaster office immediately for rapid response.

Touring disaster affected areas in Molepolole this week, she said disaster committees should be rapid when attending to disaster struck areas. “If communicated on time the disaster office at the Office of the President will touch base with affected areas within 24hrs,” and assist in determining the level and type of assistance needed.

He implored the office of the district commissioner to always contact the disaster coordinating office which she said has special relations with the army and the police. 

Ms Moepeng said she was happy with what the disaster committee was doing in assisting affected families and implored Batswana to assist fellow citizens affected by the disaster. She noted that the government alone could not manage to assist everybody. She said it was sad that lives were lost during the disaster after a 25-year-old women was struck by lightning at Goo-thato ward in Molepolole.

On Saturday afternoon, heavy storms swept through some parts of Molepolole leaving a trail of destruction which affected homesteads, businesses, government institutions and BPC and telecommunications networks. By Monday afternoon, residents in the affected areas were still struggling to come to terms with their new situations.

Some had their roofs blown away, cars destroyed by falling trees and no power supply for the third night. The district commissioner’s office has dispatched disaster management teams to assess the extent of the damage and recommend remedies.

Briefing Ms Moepeng, Kweneng district commissioner, Dr Themba Mmusi said he has instructed social workers through the disaster management office to provide food hampers to deserving homesteads.

 

He said two primary schools, a prison’s clinic, the Institute of Health Sciences, 101 homesteads and five businesses had their rooftops blown away, and that the ongoing assessment would determine the type of assistance needed. Ends