Venaani calls for Windhoek flood victims to be evacuated

Popular Democratic Movement leader McHenry Venaani on Sunday called on the Office of the Prime Minister to evacuate flood victims from damaged homes in Windhoek.

This follows on flash floods in that left several people in the city’s informal settlements stranded on Saturday.

“We call upon the emergency unit in the prime minister’s office to outline a clear plan to evacuate and assist Namibians affected by floods in the city of Windhoek,” Venaani said.

He said damage to homes is recurring when floods happen.

“I further urge the City of Windhoek to allocate plots to affected communities, this problem is recurring and needs urgent attention,” he said.

The executive director in the Office of the Prime Minister, I-Ben Nashandi, on Sunday said his office is working with the City of Windhoek.

“The City of Windhoek has commenced with response and relief, after having issued pre-flooding warnings to residents in flood-prone areas,” he said.

Flooding has left residents in affected areas in need of urgent relocation.

Otjomuise has been identified as one of these areas.

Windhoek municipality chief executive officer Moses Matyayi confirmed that the city authorities’ assessments indicated residents need emergency and temporary homes due to flood damage.

“From yesterday’s preliminary assessment, we realised that in Otjomuise, there’s a need to provide emergency shelters to some households whose houses were destroyed,” Matyayi said.

Other affected areas in the city are Hakahana, Havana and Okuryangava, which were assessed on Sunday.

Community leader Shaun Gariseb on Sunday expressed frustration that the same areas continue to be hit by flooding, leaving residents displaced.

“It’s not a place to settle and worse, the City of Windhoek has allocated numbers to these people, implying it is okay to stay in a riverbed,” Gariseb said.

Another area that Gariseb highlighted was Freedom Square, where residents were also affected by flooding.