From January to October 2018, disasters mostly caused by the heavy rains, floods, landslides and lightning took 234 lives and injured 268 people; destroyed 264 houses, 9412 ha of cropland, and killed 797 livestock among other damages.
The Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs revealed the numbers in a press conference on the International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR), which is marked on October 13 each year.
This marked the launch of the IDDR week that runs from October 13 to 19, 2018 with a theme; “Mitigating Disasters to Reduce Economic Losses.”
Launching the DRR Week, the Minister of Disaster Management and Refugee Affair, Hon. DE BONHEUR Jeanne d’Arc reminded Rwandans that disaster risk reduction requires everyone’s efforts.
“The disaster risk mitigation activities require more unified efforts. From individuals to the public and private institutions, NGOs and other partners should take part in execution of disaster mitigation mechanisms in place. Specifically, we invite Rwandans to respect all disaster mitigation measures in place,” she said.
Minister De Bonheur further asked Rwandans to join hands in disaster mitigation measures like tightly fixing the roofs of their houses, leaving the disaster high risk zones, recovering and digging new water canals.
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