Luanda: President Joo Louren§o returned to Luanda after a brief visit to Benguela province, where he assessed the aftermath of severe flooding caused by the collapse of the Cavaco River's protection dike. During his visit, the President was greeted at the Military Air Terminal by Vice-President Esperan§a da Costa and other senior officials.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the President, accompanied by Governor Manuel Nunes Jºnior, conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas to understand the scale of the disaster. He also visited a temporary shelter in the municipality of Navegantes, housing over 4,000 families displaced by the floods. While there, he was briefed on the living conditions of the displaced families and the efforts by the National Children's Institute, supported by the Angolan Red Cross, to locate children who went missing in the disaster.
The President also reviewed the ongoing emergency works to rebuild the containment dike on the Cavaco River's left bank. These efforts aim to mitigate the risk of further flooding, particularly in neighborhoods adjacent to the river. The reconstruction work, initiated on Monday, is being carried out by the consortium Omatapalo and Casais Angola in the Seta Antiga neighborhood, which was heavily impacted by the recent floods.
The catastrophic flooding in Benguela resulted in 18 fatalities, 11 missing persons, and displaced approximately 20,000 people across several neighborhoods. Additional emergency measures are planned for other critical areas, including the dike on the Cavaco River's right bank, to prevent further flooding in riverside neighborhoods.
Before departing, President Louren§o chaired a meeting of the National Civil Protection Commission at the National Archaeological Center, where they discussed the current situation and evaluated the support and assistance provided to the flood victims. The disaster unfolded last Sunday when the protective dike on the Cavaco River collapsed due to heavy rainfall, leading to extensive flooding in Benguela city and its surroundings.