Auleria Wakudumo
Communities in Oluhapa, Ekango lomuve and Onandjushi villages in the Okongo constituency have been left devastated after a strong windstorm followed by heavy rain and hailstones destroyed their crops, wiping out months of hard work in just a short time.
Many families now face uncertainty, with no hope of harvest this year after their fields were laid down by the violent storm.
One of the affected residents, Tomas Juuda (66), said his entire farming season was reduced to nothing in less than an hour.
Juuda explained that he was out looking after his cattle when he noticed dark clouds gathering in the sky, signalling possible rain. He quickly rushed to take the cattle to the kraal before going to fetch his children, who were collecting firewood nearby.
“Just as we reached home, a strong wind started, followed by heavy rain and hailstones. Everything was destroyed,” he said.
He said crops such as mahangu, beans, millet, maize and watermelons were all damaged, leaving him with nothing to harvest.
Juuda added that he has not yet gathered the strength to inspect his entire field, saying it is too painful to see all his crops lying flat on the ground.
His neighbour, Mika Lukas (65), also expressed deep frustration, saying he feels hopeless after losing everything he had worked for.
Lukas said no one was home when the storm hit, but upon returning, they found their entire field destroyed, along with damage to a zinc structure at their house.
Like many others in the area, he said only groundnuts survived, as they are rooted deep in the soil and were able to withstand the storm.
The affected community members are now appealing to the government to assist them and include them in the drought relief food programme so they can sustain themselves until the next farming season.
Headman of Ekango lomuve village, Temusha Shinyongo, said the incident occurred on Saturday between 17h00 and 18h00, during the late afternoon.
He said the windstorm was followed by heavy rainfall with hailstones, which worsened the destruction.
Shinyongo added that the strong winds uprooted trees, which fell onto fields and damaged crops even further.
“In my village alone, about 40 houses were affected, with at least eight severely damaged. Most of the affected households belong to pensioners,” he said.
Okongo constituency councillor Ephraim Shipindo confirmed that several communities in his constituency were affected by the storm.
“My people worked very hard this year, and it was very promising that they were going to get a good harvest, but unfortunately, everything is destroyed now,” he said.
Shipindo said he has compiled a list of affected households and submitted it to the governor’s office and the office of the prime minister for possible drought relief assistance.
“We are hoping they will receive the necessary support from the government to help them cope with the situation,” he said.