Hundreds have been displaced in Rubavu District after a heavy downpour, Sunday evening, destroyed their houses and property.

The most devastated area was Rugerero sector, where more than 30 families were left without shelter. Scores in Gisenyi sector were also left without shelter.

"We are aware of the problem and we have instructed the person in charge of disasters in the district to carry out a full assessment since the information we have is still preliminary,” said Christopher Kalisa, the Executive Secretary of Rubavu.

The rains also disrupted business in Rubavu town after shops became flooded. In some cases, small kiosks were washed away.

However, the good news so far is that no causalities have been reported as was the case last year when a number of people were left dead by heavy rains.

Kalisa said that the magnitude of the damage was minimal compared to last year.

"After the assessment, we shall liaise with the Ministry for Disaster Preparedness and see the level of the damage and decide how to intervene,” added Kalisa.

The Western Province was, last year, massively affected by heavy rains: In Rubavu alone 1,184 houses were destroyed while in Nyabihu at least 167 houses were destroyed and 15 families lost virtually everything, while in Rutsiro, 120 houses were destroyed by landslides.      

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