We’re with you, Samia tells survivors of Hanang disaster

Arusha. It was an act of God. That was how President Samia Suluhu Hassan summarised the catastrophic mudslide which claimed 76 lives in Hanang on Sunday.

“We have seen the damage. Let us pray to God and at the same time enhance our disaster preparedness,” she said on Thursday.

Speaking to affected families at one of the centres set up for displaced people at Katesh, the Head of State said there was nothing that could have been done to stop the disaster.

“Let’s pray to God. We have seen the damage. It’s an Act of God but the government has struggled to bring normalcy,” she said.

President Hassan said much as the tragedy led horrific to loss of lives and massive destruction of property,the government responded swiftly to the crisis.

“At least the town (Katesh) is being cleaned up of mud and debris to bring normalcy. The government is with you to ensure you are better off”.

She went on; “We (the government) will be with you. This is a calamity not for the people of Hanang but for the entire nation”.

She made the remarks at Katesh Secondary School, one of the temporary camps set up for the families made homeless by the killer floods on Sunday.

Holding their babies, some of the displaced women at the centre said they had been rendered homeless after their residences were knocked down by the raging waters and huge rocks.

“Your Excellency, as I am speaking, I and my children have nowhere to go. Our family house has been destroyed by the floods,” said one Veronica, a mother of three.

The President responded saying, the government would do everything within its capability to assist the critically affected families.

“We will deal with all your challenges,” she said, noting that she has seen the magnitude of the damage of the tragedy which has shocked the nation.

Geological experts deployed to Mount Hanang, the source of the mudslide have associated the disaster to disintegration of rocks on the mountain following heavy rains.

Later when she addressed a large gathering at the Katesh school grounds, President Hassan implored Tanzanians on disaster preparedness.

“Weather patterns are unpredictable. We cannot determine whether a particular season’s rains will be safe or destructive,” she went on.

President Hassan, visibly touched by the tragedy which forced her to cut short her official trip to Dubai, said time has come for Tanzania to embrace disaster preparedness.

“We have to enhance our capacity in disaster management. We must develop early warning systems before they strike,” she pointed out.

She said although volcanic eruption or earth tremors were not the cause of the Hanang tragedy, early warning systems should be extended to them.

She reiterated; “The Hanang disaster is largely an Act of God but there is a need to build our capacity in detection of the coming tragedies of such nature”.

The horrific floods in Hanang which killed 76 people, injured 117 others and which led to massive destruction of property should be a wake-up call on disaster preparedness.

The disaster happened when President Hassan was in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) when she was attending COP28, the world climate summit.

According to her, well-wishers there raised at least Sh.2.5 billion to boost the rescue efforts while the Office of Treasury Register contributed Sh. 1.5billion for disaster fund kitty.

The flash floods hit Katesh, the Hanang district headquarters, and Gendabi village; some 20 kilometres away on the western side of Mount Hanang.