More Than 1,000 People Have Been Killed By Severe Flooding In West And Central Africa
Since June, floods have swept across countries in West and Central Africa, including Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Mali and Liberia.
Severe floods in West and Central Africa have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced 500,000 people, affecting four million people in total.
Since June, floods have swept across countries in West and Central Africa, including Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Mali and Liberia.
Rising waters forced families to seek refuge on highways and rooftops, cut off access to schools, and damaged hospitals.
Chad was the hardest-hit country, where floods killed 487 people and affected nearly 1.5 million across 23 provinces.
In northeast Nigeria’s Maiduguri city, two major bridges collapsed in mid-September, splitting the city in half.
The government has reported at least 230 deaths, and floods have damaged more than 61 schools and 13 health centers across the country.
Nigerian zoos were overwhelmed, with wildlife like crocodiles and snakes escaping into nearby communities
In addition, 281 inmates escaped from a prison in Maiduguri city in Nigeria after severe flooding caused the prison walls to collapse.
Authorities have recaptured seven of the escaped inmates, with ongoing efforts to trace the remaining prisoners.
Severe floods killed at least 265 people in Niger and displaced more than 400,000 people.
The flooding also destroyed one of the oldest Zinder mosques in Niger’s Central-Eastern region.
Elsewhere in Mali, the floods killed at least 62 people and left 118 others injured, while local officials used 93 schools as temporary shelters for displaced people.
"I put my children and grandchildren on the roof of the house. I held the feet of the smallest of them until early morning… Suddenly, the waters took everything away. I lost everything, absolutely everything,” Boubacar, a driver in Mali, told DW.
The World Meteorological Organization has warned of Africa's disproportionate climate burden, saying, "By 2030, it is estimated that up to 118 million extremely poor people will be exposed to drought, floods, and extreme heat in Africa if adequate response measures are not put in place."
Additionally, UNICEF’s director has warned that even worse river flooding is predicted for later this year.
The director also added that severe weather events are making it harder for children in this region to meet their basic rights to survival, safety, and education.
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