BY KENNETH NYANGANI The Department of Civil Protection (DCP) yesterday said the situation was calm in Manicaland province after Cyclone Eloise hit the country on Friday night, despite heavy rains accompanied by strong winds which left a trail of destruction. Chimanimani and Chipinge were the most affected areas. Three people reportedly died while attempting to cross flooded rivers. In an interview with NewsDay, Manicaland DCP chairperson Edgar Seenza said the situation was calm. “The situation is calm, there are no rains, but it’s cloudy. We have 13 houses that were damaged because of the poor quality of materials that were used to construct the houses,” he said. “We are continuing to monitor the situation.” Seenza said government had so far evacuated 271 families from Chimanimani district and placed them at evacuation centres for safety. Buhera was also affected by the tropical storm. This was the second tropical storm to hit the country and area in the past month, the first being Cyclone Chalane, which did not cause much damage at the start of the year.