The ManicaPost
Luthando Mapepa
Chipinge Correspondent
THREE evacuation centres have been established in Chipinge and Chimanimani as Manicaland steps up its disaster preparedness efforts.
The evacuation centres are at Tongogara Refugee Camp and Kondo in Chipinge as well as Bumba in Chimanimani. Two warehouses have also been established in Chimanimani and Chipinge.
They were established by a development partner – Terre Des Hommes (TDH) Italia with funds from the European Union – to compliment Government’s efforts to ensure people’s safety in the event of natural disasters.
In an interview, TDH Italia’s Advocacy and Communications officer, Mr Tanaka Chitsa said the development will go a long way in strengthening the local communities’ capacity for disaster preparedness and reduce logistics costs through planning and timeous response.
“The establishment of these evacuation centres is set to help in responding better and coping with disasters. This feeds into the country’s Vision 2030. Government provided the land and we are complementing their efforts as we worked together and received support through its various departments. This promotes efficient utilisation of humanitarian resources.”
Mr Chitsa said the evacuation centres will minimise challenges faced during evacuation and also enhance emergency responses.
He added: “Following challenges experienced during Cyclone Idai, there was need to improve emergency responses mechanism. The evacuation centres will address issues pertaining to mobilising emergency non-food items (NFIs) and storage by Government and humanitarian partners.”
He said the development will also help reduce over dependency on available infrastructure.
Assistant Chipinge District Development Coordinator, Mr Tedious Beto said the evacuation centres will strengthen the district’s civil protection mechanisms.
“Flooding along Save River, especially during the rainy season, has become a major cause for concern and one of the most affected areas is Tongogara Refugee Camp in Ward Five. We rely on schools as evacuation centres when these floods occur. The establishment of these evacuation centre will go a long way in strengthening our response mechanisms and also reduce the burden on public institutions in times of disasters,” he said.
