Authorities in Obbo Payam of Magwi County in Eastern Equatoria State on Tuesday said heavy rains with strong winds injured at least 17 people and destroyed houses and crops.
Ringo Filbert Okumu, the head chief in Obbo Payam, said the rain started at noon on Tuesday and shortly after turned disastrous.
“It was around noon when the rain initially started normally and people sought shelter. I was under a mango and went to my office, he said. “Soon the rain developed into a very heavy storm which destroyed houses in the areas in and around Ogong and Labato.”
According to Okumu, the initial report indicates that over 30 houses have been destroyed including a primary school.
“The estimate so far is that more than 30 houses have been destroyed. The roofs of four blocks at Bright Star Nursery and Primary School were also blown off,” he said. “Some teenagers who were playing football and took shelter at the school were injured.
For his part, Ajoo Martin Okema, the deputy chairperson of the Obbo Community, said that 3 people were seriously injured and required further medical attention.
“According to the officer in charge of the Obbo health center, 14 of the victims are being managed but 3 are in critical condition and are suspected to have sustained fractures so they need to be referred for scanning to Juba or Torit,” he said.
Okema added that the situation is miserable because a large number of people affected by the rainstorm are camped under trees, especially those without close relatives in the payam. He appealed to the government and aid agencies to come to their rescue.
“My appeal to the government or NGOs is to rescue the victims of this heavy rain because at the moment their roofs have been blown off by the wind and some of them also sustained injuries which require medication and at the moment are in the hospital,” Okema appealed. “The in-charge at the health center said they do not have enough personnel to care for the injured because the incident happened when the hospital lacks medicine and they referred the patients to go buy drugs from pharmacies.”
“Unfortunately, many of the patients are destitute and cannot afford the drugs,” Okema added.