Cyclone Ditwah not an exception

OUR country is once again facing a national tragedy. Cyclone Ditwah has torn through the country with devastating force, unleashing floods and landslides that have taken over 300 lives to date and displaced tens of thousands. Entire districts remain underwater. Homes, bridges, hospitals, and livelihoods have been swept away in a matter of hours. Families wait on rooftops for rescue teams that are stretched far beyond their limits. In every sense, this is an unfolding humanitarian emergency.

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Right now, the priority must be saving lives. Search-and-rescue operations, the provision of food, shelter, medicine, and clean water, and ensuring safety in temporary camps must receive the full force of the Government’s attention. As the country mobilises to respond, we must confront an uncomfortable truth, this disaster was not unforeseeable, and it will not be the last of its kind.