By Garikai Chikuvira
CHIKOMBA – The District Civil Protection Unit (CPU) has moved swiftly to provide critical humanitarian assistance to dozens of households left reeling from a trail of destruction caused by floods, violent storms, and lightning strikes during the current 2025–2026 rainfall season.
The season has been marked by torrential rains and high winds that left families across the district counting the cost of damaged homes, lost food reserves, and destroyed household property. A total of 32 households were recorded as having been affected by these seasonal weather incidents.
To cushion the victims and restore immediate food security, the District CPU procured and distributed comprehensive grocery hampers to every affected household. Officials noted that the intervention was specifically designed to address urgent nutritional needs while families begin the long process of recovery.
Each relief package contained an array of essentials, including cooking oil (4l), sugar (10kg), flour (10kg), and rice (10kg). Also offered were food supplements such as 12 packets of dry beans, soya chunks, matemba, and tea bags as well as hygiene products such as laundry and bath soap, and tissue paper.
Beyond the provision of food, the CPU has extended specialised support to three families in Wards 4, 5, and 15 whose homes were decimated by lightning in February 2026. Using funds from the CPU Head Office, the district arm has secured building materials to facilitate the construction of standard two-roomed houses for these most-affected families.
The reconstruction programme is a collaborative effort between the government and the local community. While the CPU has supplied industrial materials such as 24 bags of cement, IBR roofing sheets, timber, and window frames, the community has mobilised local resources including river sand, pit sand, and bricks.
Technical expertise for the construction will be provided by the Chikomba District Council, the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS), and local builders.
This coordinated response between government departments and local leadership underscores a collective commitment to building resilience and protecting vulnerable citizens in the face of increasingly volatile natural disasters.
New Ziana
