• Expected rain may result in flooding leading to deaths and destruction of property.
• MP says only way residents can avert disaster is by moving to higher ground
Authorities in Teso have asked residents living in lowlands and on river banks to move to higher grounds following heavy rain on Monday that flooded rivers.
Teso North MP Oku Kaunya, the Busia government’s Disaster Management Department and police said on Tuesday the expected rain may result in flooding leading to deaths and destruction of property.
Kaunya spoke while launching construction works for the Akoret-Akichelesit-Angurai road. He said the only way residents can avert disaster is by moving to higher ground.
“We are calling on those living on flat lands and areas along river banks to move to raised grounds to avoid deaths. We have received reports of one person swept away but we are yet to confirm as the search mission continues,” he said.
The authorities spoke as the search continued for a woman claimed to have been swept away by floods on Tuesday morning along river Malakisi.
Christine Akumu Ekol is said to have left her home on Tuesday morning to harvest vegetables in her garden near river Malakisi. She slid into the river and was swept away.
Malaba police commander David Sembui said officers had been dispatched to Kakinei village in Amoni location to conduct a search for the woman’s body.
The area where the woman is said to have been swept away by water is a confluence of rivers Malakisi and Malaba. The area usually experiences heavy flooding during rainy seasons.
Akumu’s brother-in-law Nickson Ikemer said attempts to rescue the woman were unfruitful due to the strong floods.