A 3.8 magnitude
earthquake rattled Chimanimani and Chipinge shortly before Cyclone Idai which
left 344 people dead and destroyed property worth billions of dollars,
Government has revealed.
During his two
visits to Chimanimani and Chipinge, President Mnangagwa highlighted that there
was an unexplained phenomenon that happened in the areas which experts should
investigate.
Information,
Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa briefed
journalists after the eleventh meeting of Cabinet in Harare yesterday that
Government was also working on relocating people in some of the areas affected
by the cyclone.
Further,
Government is planning to establish monuments at three centres that were hard
hit by the cyclone.
This comes at a
time when Government has revealed that it is seeking $612 million to assist
victims of the natural disaster.
“Cabinet has
also established that the scale of the disaster was to some extent exacerbated
by a 3.8 magnitude earthquake which hit the Chimanimani areas shortly before
the onset of the cyclone,” she said.
“A team of
experts is currently on the ground in the Chimanimani and Chipinge areas
carrying out a disaster vulnerability assessment exercise with a view to
determining the suitable long term settlement and land use patterns.
“Plans are also
underway to establish monuments in honour of the departed persons in places
such as Ngangu, Machongwe and Copa.
“Priority
continues to be accorded to the repair or construction of damaged roads, and
bridges, schools infrastructure, health infrastructure and provision of large
scale psycho-social support.”
As part of
efforts to bring closure to the issue of missing persons as a result of the
cyclone, Minister Mutsvangwa said Government would send a team of pathologists
to Mozambique to take samples of the remains of Zimbabweans buried in that
country to conduct DNA tests.
“The search and
recovery process is now confined to recovery of the deceased as the missing
persons can now be presumed to be dead,” she said.
“Specialised
equipment and the relevant expertise are being mobilised towards the recovery
of the bodies buried under massive rock debris. Further, Cabinet wishes to
advise that a team of pathologists will travel to Mozambique to collect samples
of the remains of Zimbabweans who were buried there in order to facilitate the
conduct of DNA test and subsequent positive identification by their relatives.”
In the
consolidated Tropical Cyclone Idai International Humanitarian Appeal that
Minister Mutsvangwa shared with the media yesterday, Government outlined key
areas that it required assistance and a budget breakdown.
With regards to
food security and nutrition, Government said it required $29 million while
emergency shelter and non-food items requires $75 million.
The budget of
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Education stand at $51 million and $10
million respectively while logistics and emergency telecommunication requires
$155 million.
The budget for
environment, forestry and wildlife restoration is $4,5 million and another $20
million is required for protection facilities.
Local
Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo said President
Mnangagwa had taken a hard stance against the abuse of goods donated as aid to
the cyclone victims.
He said the
President made it clear that anyone caught stealing or abusing the aid should
go to jail.
Minister Moyo
said people who were arrested so far for abuse of the aid were officials
employed to distribute the food. Herald
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