A HAILSTORM that ravaged Lalapanzi, Midlands province, on Wednesday night caused extensive damage to houses and power lines, and left villagers counting losses.
The hailstorm destroyed several houses, electricity power lines and killed some livestock.
Wadzanai Farm chairperson Okay Machisa said the hailstorm was accompanied by violent winds.
“From a household point of view, our people will need to be quickly looked after with regards to shelter, food and those are the fundamental areas that I think might need quick attention,” Machisa said.
“This is a terrible situation where we think the Department of Civil Protection (DCP) should come in and ensure that those that have been affected have been assisted.”.
Ben Zimunda, a member of the DCP assessment team, said: “We have 176 households in the area, and so far we have visited about half of those quantifying the extent of the damage.”
Climate change activist Makario Chinongwa, who is also a villager in the area, urged fellow villagers to ensure they always take time to repair the roofs of their houses so that they at least resist the vagaries of weather.
“Some of these weather phenomina are caused by climate change, which is fast becoming a reality in our lives. These are effects of global warming. I encourage fellow villagers to constantly check their roofs to see if everything is in order. What happened (Wednesday night) is only the beginning, we don’t know what will happen next. We have never experienced such a violent storm here in Wadzanai,” Chinongwa said.
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