Africa floods crisis 2007

Summary

• Africa is experiencing its worst flooding for three decades. More than one million people have been affected by flooding in 20 countries - but in particular Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Togo and Burkina Faso
• Heavy rains have destroyed homes and crops and displaced cattle, leaving whole communities vulnerable, extremely short of food and exposed to health risks
• The Africa Floods Appeal was launched on 20 September 2007 to support emergency operations in the stricken countries
• The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is providing emergency relief to all the affected countries, delivering relief items including shelter, kitchen sets, blankets and water purification tablets. The Movement is also providing water and sanitation, health services and hygiene promotion to those in crisis
• The Africa Floods Appeal will cover past, present and near future flooding events in numerous countries throughout the continent, including those currently affected and those potentially affected in the future.

The International Red Cross response

Across the country, 108,000 people have been displaced and more than 200,000 people directly affected. At least 3,742 houses have been destroyed.

Red Cross Red Crescent response
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is aiming to assist nearly 95,000 people affected by the crisis in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Togo over the next six months, providing shelter, water purification tablets and hygiene products. The Federation has sent a team, including a British Red Cross health delegate, to assess the severity of the situation in Ghana.

Togo
Heavy rains have resulted in serious flooding. More than 3,000 families have been made homeless and close to 16,000 families affected by the crisis. At least 25 people have been killed.

Infrastructure has been very hard hit, with many bridges washed away. Access is now very restricted, making it difficult for the affected population to evacuate their homes or receive assistance, except through an airlift.
 
Families in the Savane region were already particularly vulnerable before the floods because of high levels of malnutrition.

There are reports that the start of school has been delayed by a month because families are sheltering in school buildings.

Red Cross Red Crescent response
The Federation is aiming to assist nearly 95,000 people affected by the crisis in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Togo over the next six months, providing shelter, water purification tablets and hygiene products. It has sent a team to assess the severity of the flood damage.

Togolese Red Cross volunteers have been providing first aid and have been involved in rescue and evacuation missions. They have also been distributing food and non-food items and educating communities about hygiene and the prevention of waterborne illnesses.

Around 92,900 people have been affected and about 90 percent of the affected population are farmers.

Red Cross Red Crescent response
The Federation is aiming to assist nearly 95,000 people affected by the crisis in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Togo over the next six months, providing shelter, water purification tablets and hygiene products.

Sudan
Severe flooding began in July and is continuing to wreak havoc by destroying crops, damaging farmland and killing livestock. Heavy rain has again caused severe flooding in parts of Sudan, where 58,000 homes have been destroyed and 500,000 people have been affected. Around 150 people have been killed.
 
The Red Cross sees major health concerns. More than 80,000 people are believed to be drinking contaminated water in White Nile region alone. Malaria has increased from 20 or 30 percent before the flooding to 40 percent. Acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) is spreading to new areas and three people were known to have died as a consequence in September.

Red Cross Red Crescent response 
The Federation is providing food, shelter, water purification tablets and hygiene products to help those affected by the floods. It has also sent a water and sanitation emergency response unit to supply treated water to some 40,000 people in Kosti town of White Nile State.

The Africa Floods Appeal aims to help the Federation provide relief and shelter items to 15,000 families and safe drinking water to 177,400 people. The Federation will also repair damaged pumps, provide an emergency water supply and build communal latrines. Twenty-five mobile health units aim to provide basic curative care to 75,000 people while health and hygiene promotion will help 110,000 people increase their resilience to water-borne diseases.

Earlier this summer the British Red Cross donated £30,000 from its Disaster Fund to support people affected by the floods. Because of the increasing severity of the floods, the British Red Cross is donating an additional £50,000 from the Disaster Fund.

Extensive damage has been done to crops such as barley, rice, pepper, Niger seed, maize, sorghum and finger millet.

At the beginning of October there were reports of landslides in the regions of Tigray, Amhara and Southern Nations and Nationalities People's Region (SNNPR).

Red Cross Red Crescent response
The Federation is aiming to assist 42,200 people affected by the crisis in the next six months.

Ethiopian Red Cross volunteers are educating communities in Oromia in hygiene and sanitation. They have supplied three case treatment centres with 1,000 units of ringer lactate, 1,000 pieces of soap, 1,000 units of water treatment liquid, water treatment tablets and general medical supplies.  Additionally, they are sending four cholera kits to four zones in the Oromia region.

The British Red Cross has made a pledge of £50,000 to the Ethiopia appeal.

Uganda
Uganda has been inundated with unusually heavy rain since July, leading the government to declare a state of emergency on 19 September. At least 290,000 people have been affected by the severe flooding, with 58,000 families being forced from their homes by the grim conditions.

Eighty percent of staple crops in affected areas have been destroyed or are in rotting fields, leading to worries of a food crisis. These settlements are for the most part very isolated from economic centres and dependent on agriculture. There is very little opportunity to earn extra cash.  The cost of some basic commodities has tripled because of scarcity.
 
As most of the flooding has occurred in the conflict-torn north, communities were particularly vulnerable before the flooding even started. Violence and protection issues are reported to be on the increase due to overcrowding.  Lack of access to basic health care was already an issue before the flooding but the situation has been exacerbated by the floods.

Red Cross Red Crescent response
The Federation is providing emergency relief items, including 20,000 tarpaulin shelters, 4,000 temporary latrines and 400 bathing shelters. It aims to provide emergency shelter and essential households items—as well 20,000 mosquito nets and enough water purification tablets for 10,000 families for three months—carry out hygiene promotion awareness sessions and provide life-saving first aid to 100,000 flood-affected people for six months. It has also sent a large assessment team to monitor the severity of the flooding. The team includes two British Red Cross logistics delegates and a reporting delegate who has been seconded from the British Red Cross to the Federation.

The Uganda Red Cross has supported 7,036 households by distributing non-food items. The Kenya Red Cross has provided two water treatment units.

Because of the severity of the floods, the British Red Cross has donated £50,000 from its Disaster Fund to help communities affected by flooding.

Last updated 15 October 2007