Timor-Leste Red Cross receives mothers and babies affected by floods
The Timor-Leste Red Cross is currently sheltering more than 80 people, most of them children, mothers and babies, affected by the natural disaster that occurred last week.
The Timor-Leste Red Cross President said that CVTL (Portuguese acronym) has volunteers available to prepare routine feeding for the babies, children and mothers who are displaced in this location.
Madalena Hanjam said that CVTL’s intervention is to respond to this emergency situation will continue, with the evacuation of victims to the safe places in order to save their lives, offer them food and provide other necessary support.
Madalena Hanjam also mentioned that CVTL continues to mobilize funds from foreign and national entities to help victims in Dili and also in the other municipalities affected by this natural disaster, in order to improve a little their current living conditions.
So far, CVTL has received support, both material and financial, from various members of the Government, private citizens, and other countries.
The CVTL President stressed that the team is permanently monitoring the temporary shelters to see if the sanitary conditions are adequate and sufficient for the victims.
According to Madalena Hanjam, most of the families affected by these floods and landslides lived in areas at risk of natural disasters, such as slopes and riverbanks, where it is forbidden to build houses.
For this reason, il calls on the Government, especially the relevant ministries, to continue to raise community’s awareness so that they do not build houses in areas at risk of natural disasters, and to implement urbanization plans, so that the number of residents in the capital, Dili, can be defined.
She also recalled that last week’s bad weather resulted in the death of 42 people, and caused damage to homes, businesses, schools, public buildings, and other infrastructure, such as roads and bridges.
