On Tuesday morning, more than 40 homes were demolished in Kyesiiga Sub County, Masaka District by heavy rain and strong winds, displacing 200 residents.
Numerous home roofs were blown off during the rainstorm, which began at 4 am and continued for about three hours. Numerous hectares of crops, including recently planted corn, beans, cassava, and bananas, were also damaged.
Impacted communities included Katikamu, Miwololo, Ddimo landing site, Malembo, Bbiga, Mikunyu, Mweruka, Gayaza, Bbuuliro, and Lukono in Bbuuliro and Kitunga parishes in Kyesiiga Sub County in Masaka District.
The chairman of Bbuliro Parish, Mr. Moses Gabula, claims that many impacted households are in desperate need of food and shelter.
“The Office of the Prime Minister had just delivered relief items to this area following the heavy hailstorm that hit us in September last year, it is unfortunate that the same people have been affected again,” Mr Gabula said in an interview on Tuesday.
According to Ms. Sarah Nabbanja, a resident of Miwololo Village, her maize plantation, which she had hoped would bring in money, has been completely destroyed.
Suleiman Matovu, a resident of Bigga Village, stated that the government must develop a strategy to rebuild all of the area’s destroyed forests.
“Many forests were cut by the so-called investors and that is why we are suffering from persistent rainstorms. If the government does not intervene quickly, the situation may worsen in the coming few years,” Mr Matovu said.
Following a similar incident in October 2021, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) sent iron sheets and food help to residents in the same subcountry.
The first significant rainy season in Uganda typically lasts from March to June, but recently, meteorological experts warned that the rain would be harmful in some areas, particularly in the central region, and asked the population to be aware.