Heavy downpour destroys property

BURERA - Muhabura village residents in Rugarama sector on Friday woke up early to clear over 30 homes of volcanic stones left after a heavy 2 day downpour wreaked havoc in the area. The village is close to the Virunga Mountains. The Karangara cell executive secretary, Rapheal Ngomenkire, said there is anxiety among residents because of the water that gushes from the Virunga mountains during the rainy season. “Residents spent a sleepless night on Thursday. They subsequently vacated their houses after they had been flooded with water, and valuable property had been destroyed,’’ Ngomenkire said. He warned that all residents of areas close to the volcanoes were not safe, and announced that new locations had been earmarked for resettlement. “We were woken from our slumber by floodwaters originating from Muhabura mountain. The floodwaters destroyed our houses,’’ Kezia Nyiransengiyunva one of the victims said. The floods caused by water gushing from the volcanoes recently devastated Muko sector, Musanze district, killing three people and destroying property worth millions of francs. After the May floods, scientists at ISAE-Busogo had recommended the installation of meteorological information and early warning systems to monitor changing weather patterns in the area in order to avoid extreme dangers. Ends