Man survives death as fresh flash floods hit Kasese

NATURAL DISASTER

The Uganda Police Fire Brigade on Thursday rescued a resident who had been engulfed on a piece of land in the middle of River Nyamwamba that had flooded in fresh flash floods on Thursday.

Geofred Kahumulha, 29, attached to Uganda Securiko in Kasese Municipality was trying to return home in Mburakasaka, Mbunga subcounty, Kasese district from duty at around 8.00 a.m.

Police arrive
Three hours later however, Police got wind of the situation and rushed to the scene.
After tossing a strong rope across the river several times, the rescue team finally pulled him to safety.
Narrating his ordeal, Geofred Kahumulha said he had fallen into one part of the forked river as he tried to cross home.

He said he had waded through the first stream and over a piece of land sandwiched in the river around Road Barrier village, Namuhuga Ward, Bulembia Division, Kasese Municipality, only to find that the other branch of the river too full for him to cross.

"As I tried to return to the first branch of the river where I had crossed, it had also filled up," he said after being rescued.

He said had paced up and down, sometimes sat in despair, wondering if this was the end of his life.
"Because of the raging, noisy river, I could not communicate with people who were gathering by the river bank," he said as curious residents gathered around the man.

"I advise fellow residents to avoid crossing this river whenever it rains," said the father of five.

Scores displaced afresh
 Downstream, the floods destroyed several homes, especially in Kanyangeya Ward of Kasese Municipality, displacing scores of people.

The incident followed a downpour that pounded the Rwenzori Mountains, forcing the river to bust its banks again, pouring into homesteads.

The affected families have fled their homes, joining others at Kanyangeya Primary School, who have been living there since the floods struck the district in May.

Julius Monday Kule, the chairperson of the displaced at the primary school, said the Thursday incident left more than eight homesteads devastated.

The area was already battling with water which has increasingly been oozing from the underground, leaving many buildings submerged.

"I saw the houses collapsing one after the other, compounding the already difficult situation because the camp already had about 215 families," he said.

One of the persons affected by the water that oozes from the ground, Elizabeth Kabugho, said she had fled her home, calling for urgent interventions.

Martha Biira, who has lost her house, only looks to government for a solution, appealing for the relocation of the affected to a safer area.

Alice Makoma, a resident and petty trader of raid Barrier Village says the rain season has always scared the residents in the area since the floods first raided Kasese in May 2013.

 "I thank police for having rescued our residents because I had lost

hope," the area LC1 chairman, Gerad Kule, said.

But he urged government to tame the river by de-silting it and construct a bridge across it.
"We used to have a makeshift bridge here but it was washed away by the river," Kule said.

He said the area was the shortest crossing point for hundreds of residents who carry out various economic activities between Mburakasaka and Kasese town.