More flash floods loom

By Farayi Machamire

Zimbabwe’s must brace for more flash floods as heavy rains are set to continue in some parts of the country in the coming weeks, the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) has warned.

“Flooding remains a threat,” the department said in an alert issued yesterday.

It further cautioned that “motorists are advised not to park their cars under trees to avoid damage from falling trees . . . (as) the incessant rains that the country is receiving have made the soils saturated”.

This comes as the Civil Protection Unit has advised the public to be on high alert and on the lookout for landslides.

So far, lightning and drowning have claimed 246 lives since October last year, while floods, which have been declared a national disaster, have left nearly 2 000 homeless. Also, at least five major bridges have been washed away making key roads in many parts of the country totally impassable, according to Transport minister Joram Gumbo.

Government has since appealed to international donors to help those affected by the floods.

Meanwhile, the powerful Tropical Cyclone Enawo which was forecast to hit Zimbabwe and has been intensifying off the north eastern edge of Madagascar, was yesterday said to be moving toward a dangerous landfall on the island nation.

Meteo Madagascar — Madagascar’s meteorological department — yesterday issued an alert warning residents to move away from homes near the water’s edge and seek shelter in sturdy buildings.

However, the MSD has maintained that the formidable storm, packing estimated winds as high as 140 miles per hour as of Monday afternoon eastern time, is still too far from the mainland to have any effect on Zimbabwe. Daily News