Relief efforts are on at the moment to help thousands of Rwandans affected in different ways by the weather-induced disaster that struck on the night between May 2 and 3 in different parts of the country. At least 130 people have been confirmed dead from mudslides, dozens of others are injured and receiving medical care. The floods also left thousands homeless after their houses were washed away. It is a grim situation, going by the gory images that have been coming from the most affected regions of the country with the hardest hit being the north-western region. Also read PHOTOS: PM Ngirente attends burial of flood victims in Rubavu This is arguably the deadliest natural disaster to be recorded in Rwanda’s recent history. In one of the footages making rounds on social media, a man is seen throwing himself into a flood wave seemingly without second thought after seeing a little child who had been swept away in the wave. The footage does not show whether the man eventually managed to rescue the child but it speaks to the humanity that has over the years characterized ordinary Rwandans faced with a calamity. ALSO READ: PICTORIAL: Heavy rains devastate North, South and Western Rwanda When citizens, especially those that reside around River Sebeya woke up to floods seeping through their homes, and later mudslides that swept away their homes, the first responders were area residents. They fought tooth and nail to get their compatriots from the rubble, even at the risk of their own lives. Soon after, local leaders and civil society, mainly churches, joined the effort and according to reports, much life was saved out of the swift response. Fortunately, the national government has moved in and set up a fully-fledged national taskforce that is coordinating relief to ensure a semblance of normalcy returned. President Paul Kagame has said that he himself is following closely the relief efforts while the Prime Minister was on ground on Thursday to assess the damage and participated in the burial of the disaster victims. Despite all that has been or being done however, the lives lost cannot be brought back and some of the damage done is irreversible. We can only pick lessons, especially our local government entities to ensure people in most risky zones are identified and swiftly evacuated to safe dwellings.
