HEAVY rain in the Western province over the weekend has caused several damages to properties in Gizo.
Apart from the tragedy that occurred early Tuesday morning claiming the life of a mother, a family living close to Gizo primary school have also experienced landslide resulting in damage to their home and semi-permanent kitchen.
Speaking to Solomon Star on Wednesday, one of the victims Holland Lianga who lost his kitchen and has part of his home damaged said his family was still in the house on Tuesday morning when they heard a rumbling sound from the landslide which hit their kitchen and home.
He said the family was having their morning devotion and luckily no one was out there in the kitchen making breakfast.
The landslide buried the kitchen which collapsed and partly damaged the front part of their home.
“I heard a sound that was so heavy like a thunder from behind our house. All of a sudden the loose soil from the top of the hillside along with a mango tree came rushing down and eventually covered our kitchen and causing structural damages to the front of our house,’’ he added.
Mr Lianga added members of his family were in total panic and fear following the incident.
He said they attempted to escape through the front door but it couldn’t open because of the force of the ground.
He said the family had to escape through the window. They are now living with relatives until the weather improve and the home is deemed safe to return to.
Several families also received damages to their homes.
Fortunately for most of them there was no injuries.
Many places around Gizo also experienced damages to their homes and properties following the heavy rain.
Meanwhile, Gizo Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Mathias Lenialu has warned all the boat skippers in the province thinking ‘safety first’ is important whether travelling by boats or land taking extra precaution is the first priority for safety purpose as to avoiding loses of lives.
By ULUTAH GINA
In Gizo
