Africa-Press – Cape verde. 151 people who had been preemptively relocated to São Vicente due to forecasted bad weather were authorized to return home today. This information was provided by the spokesperson for the Crisis Office, created following the rains on the 11th, which caused nine deaths and two missing people.
At the daily press conference, Vitória Veríssimo explained that these people were removed from areas designated as at risk and placed at the José Augusto Pinto High School. About six dozen homeless people will remain at the Monte Sossego School.
“These 151 are going home because they were evacuated as a preventive measure. The 60 people in Monte Sossego will remain under our responsibility,” she said.
Some areas will receive water today via tanker trucks, which will refill in Porto Novo and Santo Antão, including Salamansinha, Ribeirinha, Pedra Rolada, and Fonte Francês. Vitória Veríssimo stated that priority institutions, such as health facilities, already have water. The bilges are also beginning to be filled.
“Today, we’ll be working on Salamansinha, Ribeirinha, Pedra Rolanda, Fonte Francês—in other words, we’re going to these locations with trucks. I’d also like to point out that the bilges are also starting to receive water. Eletra has provided water in the bilges, and this water is also being transported by several trucks from the City Council, the Armed Forces, and Civil Protection. These several trucks are on the road, precisely to deliver water to people, which is something we know is a concern. Health centers also have water, enabling normal operations, and we continue distributing water to priority institutions, such as Batista de Sousa Hospital,” he notes.
A week after the storm that caused nine deaths and displaced several people in São Vicente, many affected families continue to complain about the lack of support from authorities. The spokesperson for the Crisis Office admits that the available resources are insufficient for the required response.
“As you can see, we’re talking about the island, not one or two affected areas. We have to try to reach every person or every community on the island. We don’t have enough personnel. We would have to pull personnel from the other islands to accumulate everything here on São Vicente Island, and then we would have that capacity. But technicians have already arrived from the other islands to provide this support. Obviously, there are communities we haven’t been able to reach yet, there are places that haven’t yet received a civil protection presence, but they are on this list,” she states.
Vitória Veríssimo confirms that two people remain missing and that searches are ongoing, including at sea. Among the priorities for this week, she highlights the continuation of the risk assessment, ensuring that the reception centers are prepared to receive people, continuing the cleanup and clearing of the waterbed in case of further rain, continuing the search for the two missing people, and restoring the water supply.
For More News And Analysis About Cape verde Follow Africa-Press
