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Appeal for Funds to Assist Flood Victims in Northern Namibia
7 April 2008
The Municipal Council has launched an appeal to Walvis Bay residents to contribute cash or food to ease the plight of more than 71,000 Namibians affected by weeks of severe flooding and waterborne diseases in the northern regions of the country. The estimated number of people affected by the heaviest floods yet experienced in northern Namibia has left many displaced and in despair as their crops have failed and livestock perished.
According to the preliminary assessment report by the office of the Prime Minister’s Emergency Management Unit, the future looks bleak for the affected communities. This year they will not have any harvest as most of the crop fields have been submerged under water and it will take some time before the water evaporates. Mahangu storage facilities in many homesteads have also been damaged by the heavy rains. The affected communities face a serious food shortage until the next harvest season.
There are still villages that have not been reached by the emergency response personnel as roads leading to some of the villages have been made inaccessible by the flood water. For now they are left to provide for themselves, till such time that the water had subsided and off road vehicles can reach them. As a result of the floods many mobile health facilities have also become inaccessible and some services totally suspended leaving people vulnerable to waterborne diseases that could otherwise be prevented. The death toll as a result of waterborne diseases such as Malaria and Cholera is increasing daily even though health personnel are doing their level best to contain these diseases.
Over 90 schools in the Omusati, Ohangwena, Oshana and Oshikoto regions have been closed due to flooding, leaving over 17,000 learners without education. The situation caused by the flood is expected to cost the government millions of dollars and something that can not be left to government alone. The reconstruction of roads is estimated at N$38 million, which will create a huge backlog in terms of development in these regions and the country as a whole.
Seeing that no provision was made for the floods in northern Namibia it is expected that some of the country’s capital projects would be put on hold to attend to the situation at hand. The Municipal Council of Walvis Bay is appealing to the community of Walvis Bay to assist fellow Namibians in this regard through the Mayoral Relief Fund of Walvis Bay. Contributions are needed for immediate emergency needs such as food, tents, medical care and sanitation.
Contributions can be made to the:
Municipality of Walvis Bay
Standard BANK
Current Account nr: 042859778
Branch code: 082272
Vote no: G60190066
or at the municipal cash hall to the Mayoral Relief Fund (Remember to indicated the Vote Number: G60190066). Please send proof of contribution to fax no. 064 - 209668
Residents who wish to make donations in kind should contact the following persons and make appropriate arrangements:
Josephine Sisande (2013268)
Leevy-Lee Abrahams (2013234)
Nolito Marques (2013381)
The flood victims are desperately in need of the following food products:
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10 tonnes of maize meal
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Salt
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12,000 tin cans of fish
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12,000 tin cans of processed beef
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30,000 litres of cooking oil
The Mayor of Walvis Bay would like to thank those that have assisted the people affected by the floods in their own capacity and would further like to encourage the rest of the residents to emulate their example.
MANAGER: PUBLIC RELATIONS
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