Brought to you by ‘nonnegotiable lifestyle’
Not a climate refugee yet? You’ll probably have to play host to a few, for now!
Here’s a sample of what may soon be occurring on much larger scales:
About 300,000 people living on the slopes of Mount Elgon, Bududa, Uganda, will be moved: Ugandan Government
The government says another 200,000 people who live in western Uganda, near the Ruwenzori mountains, should also be relocated, bringing the total of people at risk of floods and landslides to a whopping half a million. And that is just the beginning!
Map of Uganda. Click image to enlarge. Source: U.S. Govt. Image enhanced by Fire-Earth.
The total population at risk of landslides and floods is estimated to be 500,000,” Ugandan deputy minister for disaster preparedness, Musa Ecweru said.
He has described the recent deadly mudslide in Bududa as a “wake-up call.”
Fearing more floods and landslides, about 300,000 people have already abandoned their homes in the mountainous regions in Bududa including the districts of Budaka, Butaleja, and Tororo, he said.
His fears are compounded by recent meteorological reports forecasting above normal rainfall throughout the ongoing rainy season which ends in May [but might linger on longer this year.]
Ecweru says most of the mountainous area in eastern border of his country with Kenya, especially the slopes of Mount Elgon (located about about 275km north-east of the capital Kampala), is too dangerous for human habitation.
“The Elgon region has been invaded up to very dangerous slopes and if we don’t relocate these people we are likely to witness a repeat of what we have witnessed,” he said, referring to the massive mudslide last struck the region on March 1.
A woman searches for her missing relatives on a pile of soil in Bududa village, 210 km (130 miles) east-northeast of the Ugandan capital Kampala, March 3, 2010. The landslide in eastern Uganda has killed at least 80 people and villagers are digging with bare hands and simple tools in the hope of finding survivors, a government minister and Ugandan media said on Tuesday. Credit: REUTERS/James Akena. Image may be subject to copyright. For more images click link bottom of page.
According to different reports between 82 and 106 bodies have so far been recovered from the mudslide in the Bududa district, but the death toll is thought to be between 106 and 350. A fast-moving avalanche of earth buried homes, schools, shops and other structures, turning entire villages into instant graves.
Folks, learn to be a good host, look after any guest who comes your way. Who knows, you could be knocking on other peoples’ door before long.
AND never say, “it would never happen to us!”
Related Links:
- 2010 Disaster Calender
- Storms, Extreme Rain Events, Floods, Landslides
- Drought and Deluge
- The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
- Index of Human Impact on Nature (HIoN) March 2008
- 2010: The Year of Disasters
- Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion
Related News Links:
- Floods displace over 300,000 people in Uganda
- Uganda plans to resettle 500,000 over mudslide risk
- Over 500,000 people in Uganda at risk of landslides, floods
More images of mudslides:
Fire Earth 