By: Nyima Sillah
The 24hrs weekend downpour has seriously caused havoc across the country, it affected many places while some residents of the affected areas suffered from the damages.
Among these places from different councils and regions are Nemasu Village and other neighborhoods within the Greater Banjul Area and beyond.
The heavy rainfall shattered many houses it damaged valuable properties across the Greater Banjul Area and it was rated to be the heaviest rain experienced in The Gambia in many years.
Reaching out to The Voice, Mariama Touray who resides within the area and also affected by the downpour said their area is not a location that is prone to flood, but the weekend rain has left her and family devastated because it was her first time to experience such a heavy flood since she moved to the said neighborhood.
“We could not sleep for 2 consecutive nights. All our cloths were wet and I lost so many valuable materials in the flood including my TV, refrigerator, sofas among other valuable items. I know it will be hard for me to recover during an emergency time like this when the whole country is suffering from the same incidents,” she said.
Well, “we heard that the Vice President Badara A. Joof, the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), and some other government officials visited some flooded areas, but we are yet to receive delegates in this area,” she confirmed,
Meanwhile, she said the visit alone was not what just matter, but urgent support is what they need at this time.
Ebrima Fadera, from another, flooded area explained how the flood seriously affected him and his family. “We are definitely suffering, we are in need of food, accommodation, and shelter. The flood came by surprise and washed away all the materials in the store. We could not save any materials instead we tried to wake up the kids and rushed to the neighbors for help. I have not seen such kind of flood in the country in years,” he explained.
According to him, the flood started at 3 am and before people came to their rescue, the entire house was consumed by water and some part of the house cracked seriously so none of them can stay in that house again unless it is totally renovated. He added that they want to adhere to the advice of the KMC that people should stay away from such houses for safety reasons.
Meanwhile, Alagie Dibba has called on philanthropists and NGOs to support the victims in this trying time that the government cannot do it alone and some of these homeowners might not get enough amount of cash that would be given them by the government, so they would need extra assistance. “I also call on our people, the Red Cross Society who are always a response to disasters to please come to the aid of those that need them so badly,” he pleaded.
