Hundreds of families in Pallisa District are counting losses after a violent storm swept through more than 15 villages, leaving homes flattened, crops destroyed and communities displaced.
Roofless and completely demolished houses, with household property scattered across compounds, now dominate villages including Opogono, Omukulai, Otamirio, Otelepai and Opwateta.
The destruction followed Saturday’s heavy downpour, which was accompanied by strong winds.
Authorities say the storm left more than 200 families homeless and destroyed several schools and churches across the affected areas.
Okurut Lambert, the headteacher of Reverend Kajas Okurut Primary School, one of the affected institutions, said the winds struck suddenly and with great force.
“The strong winds lasted for about five minutes before it started raining. They carried off the roof of one of our classrooms where teachers were registering new learners. Fortunately, no one was harmed,” he said.
Beyond the destruction of property, the disaster claimed the lives of two children and left close to 500 people injured. The injured are currently receiving treatment at various health facilities across the district.
Constantine Okwi, the Assistant Resident District Commissioner of Pallisa, described the incident as devastating but noted that the death toll could have been higher.
“Looking at what happened, God helped us. Otherwise, we would have registered more deaths. Those who are hospitalized are steadily recovering. The children who died were trapped under rubble and could not survive,” Okwi said.
The destructive winds also ravaged food crops, including cassava and bananas, and uprooted the few remaining trees in the area.
Food items stored inside houses were destroyed, while several hectares of gardens were flattened, raising fears of food insecurity in the coming months.
Local leaders are now calling for urgent government intervention, citing food and shelter as the most immediate needs for the affected families.
“The biggest assistance we need from government is food relief because people have lost almost everything in their houses. Secondly, they need shelter, because many are currently staying with relatives who are already overwhelmed,” Okwi added.
Leaders further blamed the recurring destruction on widespread deforestation, saying the loss of tree cover has left the area exposed without natural windbreakers to reduce the impact of strong winds.
They are urging the government to roll out sustained tree-planting programmes to enable communities to grow and protect trees as a long-term measure against future disasters.
District authorities say an assessment of the damage is ongoing, with plans to compile a detailed report to guide relief and recovery efforts.
