By John S. Conteh in Falaba
A heavy rain storm on Monday 17 May 2021 has left a sizeable number of people homeless in the Falaba district headquarter town of Mongo Bendugu.
12 dwelling houses and the Ansarul Islamic Nursery, Primary and Secondary School buildings were destroyed by the storm with learning materials completely buried under the rubble.
The storm also affected farming activities with damages done to stores containing crops, other farm produce and seeds. Agricultural tools were also lost.
According to Kumba Marah, one of the victims of the disaster, 14 years ago, her only brother now deceased went to Kono to work at the diamond mines and later built them a house which was later destroyed by another storm. She said it took her years of labour to build another one after the death of her brother, but which has also been destroyed by the storm.
A 50 year- old disabled man Konta Marah commonly known as Nanfa Konta also another affected person told politico that he constructed his own dwelling house from farming before the incident that resulted in his deformity in 2016.
"I gave 12 bushels of rice in exchange for one bundle zinc of 6ft which I did for 5 farming seasons before I completed the five bundles. Nails and boards were also acquired by exchange. Now, I am unable to walk and the roofs of my only house and the walls have all been removed by the storm. How could I get a house for my family?, " he asked.
Amara Sannoh, a 45 years old man who suffers from the same disaster disclosed that his income was from local fence construction using elephant grass, and coal burning. The money he generated from those activities is what he gathered and put up his structure which had been blown away by the Ssorm.
The Principal of Ansarul Islamic Secondary School Abu bakarr S. Bah told Politico that the school building and learning materials were all blown away.
Similarly in Gberia Fotumbu and Koindukura in Sulima chiefdom on the 8th May 2021, storm also left many people homeless in the two communities.
An incident according to a social welfare representative Abdul Kanu, storm in Koindu Kura destroyed about 23 houses, affecting 82 households. A school and the local Court Barry were destroyed. Also Gberia Fotumbu had about 17 structures, 78 households and the local Court Barry lost.
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