Tragedy has again struck Kasese District as flash floods, triggered by the Nyamwamba River bursting its banks.
The disaster has seen the river sweep through 13 villages, leaving two people dead, one person missing, and thousands displaced.
The Uganda Red Cross reported that the affected villages include Kitoro Cell, Acholiquaters, Mumbuzi, Base Camp Lower, Kizungu, Nyakasanga West, Kisanga A and B, Salute A and B, Kamulikwizi, Kikonzo, and Kisagazi.
The disaster followed a heavy downpour that caused the river to overflow, inundating around 1,000 households.
More than 250 homes have been completely submerged, leaving hundreds of families without shelter and facing uncertainty.
Uganda Red Cross says among the confirmed dead is a female nurse who lost her life while attempting to capture images and videos of the rising waters.
"She was swept away by the powerful current. The second victim, a male adult, fell into the river when the ground near the riverbank gave way as he tried to observe the flooding. Both bodies were later recovered by the search and rescue team," URC said.
The humanitarian agency said efforts are ongoing to locate another missing person, with search and rescue teams scouring the flooded areas.
Local authorities fear more people may still be unaccounted for, and the situation remains dire.
Local authorities have expressed frustration over some community members' reluctance to heed safety warnings.
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The District Disaster Management Committee, in partnership with the Village Task Force and community responders, has been broadcasting safety messages on community radios, urging residents to avoid the riverbanks during heavy rains.
"We use river gauges to monitor water levels and send early warnings to our people. This unfortunate loss of life could have been avoided if safety messages were followed," a district official emphasized.
In response to the disaster, the District Disaster Management Committee, along with Response Action Teams, has been mobilized to conduct a rapid assessment of the situation.
The teams are working closely with local leaders to provide immediate relief and continue the search for the missing individual.
This latest flood event has once again underscored Kasese District's vulnerability to natural disasters, with increasing calls for sustainable infrastructure solutions to mitigate future risks posed by the recurring flooding of the Nyamwamba River.
Kasese has long been plagued by seasonal floods, with the Nyamwamba River posing a constant threat to the lives and properties of those living along its banks.
While the immediate focus remains on ensuring residents' safety and ongoing rescue efforts, the long-term challenge of preventing future disasters remains a critical concern for the district.
As the region grapples with the aftermath of the floods, there is hope that the missing person will soon be found and that no more lives will be lost to this devastating event.
