BY SETHABILE MYENI
MBABANE – The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) has assisted close to 800 Emaswati who were affected by a hailstorm the past weekend.
This was disclosed by Acting Director at NDMA, Victor Mahlalela this morning on EBIS. He said the most affected constituencies were Mtfongwaneni, Mafutseni, and Khubutha and that there are few reports from neighbouring constituencies including Nkwene, Sandleni and Gilgal.
“Our rapid assessment that started on Friday focuses on the mostly affected homesteads and victims and since then we have assisted at least 800 Emaswati with tents from 160 homesteads that were greatly affected by the hail storm,” said Mahlalela.
Mahlalela revealed that there were 1000 homesteads and 6000 people in total that were directly affected by the strong weather over the past weekend.
“We will be starting our comprehensive assessment on Tuesday or Wednesday where we will attend each and every homestead to assess the amount of damaged caused and the kind of assistance needed by each of them. We like to promise those we have not reached yet to continue reporting through the NDMA offices in all the regions so that they may get necessary help,” he said.
He also thanked the Royal Eswatini Police Services for responding swiftly when the reports came in and he also appreciated the Red Cross for assisting those who needed medical attention since Friday.
“On Saturday morning, The Deputy Prime Minister, Thulisile Dladla also showed up to assess the situation in affected areas including schools and shops. We appreciate her for showing interest and willingness to help,” said Mahlalela.
