Hailstorm ravages five villages in Arua

May 02, 2019

The local leaders and affected community members are now seeking for intervention from organizations and the Office of the Prime Minister to support the people who are homeless.

NATURAL DISASTER
 
ARUA- Heavy downpour with hailstorm on Tuesday evening left over 400 people homeless after their houses were brought down.
 
10 children reportedly got injured and developed swollen bodies after they were thumped by a hailstorm that lasted for more than 2 hours.
 
The affected villages are Wawafe, Agulua, Aribu, Ave and Eteleva all in Arara Parish in Ulepi sub-county in Arua district.
 
Several shear nut trees and other tree species were destroyed and brought down by the heavy winds destroying business for the people who traditionally rely on selling shear nut oil from the shear nut seeds.
 
The local leaders and affected community members are now seeking intervention from organizations and the Office of the Prime Minister to support the people who are homeless.
 
John Adaku, the LC3 chairman of Ulepi sub-county who made a field visit to the affected villages said the rains destroyed both grass thatched houses and those with iron sheets.
 
As the people were shifting from one house to another for rescue, children were badly injured and beaten by the hailstorm.
 
The 10 children were rushed to a nearby clinic in Arara parish for treatment.
 
Adaku explained that over 100 shea nut trees were destroyed and this will affect the economic status of the people who largely rely on shea but oil for making money along the Arua-Nebbi Highway after processing the oil through a local method.
 
The over 100 shear nut trees lost is estimated to have caused a loss of sh30m.
 
One shear nut tree generates up to sh2m a year for the locals who use the money for paying schools fees, taking care of household needs and development.
 
The structures affected include Eteleva Primary School teachers' quarters. Two teachers' houses were blown off leaving the teachers in the cold but the community later relocated them to a nearby house.
 
The community lost six goats and one chicken that died from the hailstorm attack.
 
The community also lost 67 acres of different crops destroyed during the hailstorm.
 
The crops destroyed in the heavy rains included cassava, maize, Simsim and ground nuts.
 
 he teachers house at televa rimary chool hoto by obert riaka The teacher's house at Eteleva Primary School (Photo by Robert Ariaka.)

 

 
Modesto Aliku, 70 from Agulua village says the heavy rain found him in his grass thatched house with a small girl and the shear nut tree near the house was blown off hitting his house.
 
The duo survived the tragedy and later transferred to another house. Aliku said he lost eight shear nut trees from which he used to get money.
 
He says for a shear nut tree to grow, it takes 50 to 60 years to mature and now he is asking the government to extend support because they lost household items including food.
 
Florence Dawa from Wawafe village says her house collapsed when she was out of the house but the children were trapped in the house though they were not injured.
 
Dawa says she is now stranded and does not know where to start. Her family beds were both destroyed, glass plates and cups and jerricans.
 
Moses Oliama, the LC1 chairman Wawafe village explained that some of the people whose houses collapsed sustained bruises and their properties destroyed.
 
The leaders and affected people are now seeking support from the government to start a new life. Recently heavy storms destroyed a shear nut tree in Yumbe causing the death of four people.
 

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