It is early March of 2023 in Dar es Salaam, and the Tanzania Meteorological Authority has issued a warning for heavy rain. All of Dar es Salaam’s core emergency response agencies are meeting at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to strategize on how to respond to potential flooding across the city. Dr. Christopher Mnzava, the former Coordinator of the Dar es Salaam Multi-Agency Emergency Response Team (DarMAERT), cannot resist feeling great pride in how far the team in the room has come.
Tanzanian communities unite to tackle the growing risk of floods
Ward Disaster Management Committee in one of the sessions for developing Community Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan.
It is mid-October in Dar es Salaam, and it has been pouring rain for hours. Halima, her children, and her neighbors are worried because their neighborhood is beginning to flood, just like in every rainy season. They live in Jangwani, one of the Wards near the city center and one of the city’s most flood-prone areas. As the flooding increases, Halima must make the difficult decision to evacuate her home; she is unsure where to go. While friends and families have accommodated her in the past, it has not been easy.