Heifer staff safe after Uganda mudslides; impact on families not yet known

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (June 25, 2012) – Heifer International Uganda country staff are reported safe after heavy rains triggered several mudslides in the Bugisu sub-region of eastern Uganda. Work to determine impact on communities Heifer serves in these regions is under way and will be reported as soon as details are known.

The Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS), which has sent a team of volunteers to assess the overall situation, confirmed there were deaths and injuries, though the total is unknown. Two villages of Namaga and Bunakasala in the Bumwalukani Sub County, Bududa district, were buried by the mudslides, according to Reuters.

This is the third time eastern Uganda has been hit by deadly mudslides in three years. In 2011, Bududa district was declared a disaster area after landslides injured eight people and left 420 others homeless. In March 2010, at least 100 people were killed and more than 400 people displaced after a six-hour downpour triggered landslides in several villages on the slopes of Mount Elgon.

About Heifer International:
Heifer’s mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. Since 1944, Heifer International has provided livestock and environmentally sound agricultural training to improve the lives of those who struggle daily for reliable sources of food and income. Heifer is currently working in 40 countries, including the United States, to help families and communities become more self-reliant. For more information, visit www.heifer.org or call (800) 696-1918.