Aller au contenu principal

Cameroon: Floods - Aug 2020

Statut
Passé
Pays
Cameroun
Types de catastrophes
Inondation

Heavy rainfall in Mayo-Danay division, Far North region, at the end of July has caused widespread flooding in seven districts. According to the Cameroonian Red Cross, 5,553 people, including 1,260 children under five years old and 407 individuals with special needs have lost their shelter, personal belongings, livestock and field crops. The Cameroonian Red Cross has provided empty bags to build small dykes to prevent further damages, but the assistance capacity is insufficient because of the absence of humanitarian organizations in the division. More rain is forecasted and further floods expected across the Logone river. (OCHA, 19 Aug 2020)

The Far-North region has been drenched by heavy rains since the beginning of the rainy season in July and between 11 and 12 September 2020, intense and continuous rains poured in the Mayo-Danay (19,218 people) and in the Mayo-Kani (7,184 people) divisions with a an unprecedented level of rainfall ranging between 40mm and 85mm. According to data collected by the local Red Cross committees in the concerned divisions, more than 26,402 people have been affected...The forecast and the rainy season which usually lasts until the end of October, raise fears of further loss of human life and significant deterioration of the situation. The climate forecasts of the Climatology and Data Bank Service (part of the Directorate of National Meteorology) which predicted new rainfall by the end of September proved to be correct. In recent days, the region has been hit by new rains thereby worsening the situation in the affected areas. Rainfall was between 40mm and 85mm and the forecast continues to anticipate rain in October. In addition, the maps of the geographical relief of the area which feature flood zones anticipate that the rains in the Logone-and-Chari and Diamaré divisions flow into the Mayo-Kani and Mayo-Danay valleys, which are the most at risk due to their geography. In these areas, there are also dams that are at risk of breaking under the pressure of such amount of rains. (IFRC, 8 Oct 2020)

As of 23 October 2020, flooding affected around 193,000 people in five regions of Cameroon (Far-North, Littoral, South, SouthWest and West). The Far North region already affected by insecurity, food insecurity, malnutrition and climate change is the region most affected by flooding with destruction of houses, goods, crops and farms as well as land degradation.(OCHA, 2 Dec 2020)