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MIRA staff provide relief to Addu tornado victims

Late May, a tornado ripped through Hithadhoo island in southernmost Addu atoll, destroying several houses and creating havoc throughout the island.

Due to the change in monsoon, Maldives recently experienced torrential rains and rough seas all around the country for weeks. Addu City experienced the worst of it with a devastating tornado, which uprooted trees, blew off roofs of houses, and completely destroyed up to 10 houses, according to the city’s Mayor.

However, on Sunday, employees of the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) revealed that they had collected MVR 60,000 to provide relief for those who were most affected by the tragic incident in Addu City.

The initiative was taken by employees hailing from Addu City, who began fundraising for their friends and family back home.

The money they collected is to be distributed amongst the 12 families who were most affected by the tornado.

Each household will receive MVR 5000 from MIRA employees, who will be travelling to Addu to personally handover the aid.

Government institutions including Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), Addu City police, Maldives Road Development Corporation (MRDC), Waste Management Corporation (WAMC), State Trading Organisation (STO) along with the Addu City Council had rushed to provide relief for the Addu City citizens after the tornado hit.

A week or so in to the incident, roofs of several houses were re-built with the help of government agencies and local citizens who were working tirelessly to clear the rubble and re-build what was destroyed.