Floods in West Africa
Around 800,000 people have been affected by floods in 14 countries in West Africa (Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, The Gambia, Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Sierra Leone, Benin, Ghana and Guinea) . Among the hardest hit countries are: Ghana (over 332,000 affected), Togo (over 127,900 affected), Burkina Faso (over 92,900 affected), Niger (57,000) and Mali (over 42,000 affected).
Highlights
- To date, the Flash Appeal for Ghana has been funded up to $2, 761,958, including $2,496,956 from the CERF and $265,000 from Canadian cooperation.
- Burkina Faso is preparing a flash appeal to respond the needs of flood affected people.
- Relief items from OCHA warehouses in Brindisi, Italy arrived on 17 October in Bamako, Mali.
Situation and response
Ghana
Flooding in the Upper East Region, Upper West Region, Northern Region and parts of the Western Region have affected 332,600 people and caused the death of 56 according to the Government. Some 35,000 houses and 1,500 kilometers and thousands hectares of crops have been destroyed. On 9 October an appeal for international assistance was launched by the government for the reconstruction of flood devastated areas.
Response
So far, the flash appeal of $12,410,000 launched by the United Nations and partners has been funded up to up to $2,761,958, including $2,496,956 from the CERF and $265,000 from Canadian cooperation. The Canadian government allocation reported last week is destined to IOM ($205,000) and OCHA ($60,000D). Some 75,000 people are being assisted through a WFP emergency operation, while UNICEF distributed aqua tablets for household water purification, ceramic filters and hygiene kits.
In a situation report published on 16 October, the NGO Concern Universal raised the point that the emphasis put on the Upper East and Northern Region hides the concerning needs of flood affected people in the Upper West. Since the flooding began, the NGO Concern Universal with local partner ProNet (Professional Network North) with Irish Aid funds have distributed a 15 day balanced food ration to 4,667 flood affected people in Upper West region specifically Lawra, Jirapa/Lambussie and Wa East districts. The District Chief Executive from Lawra (Upper West Region) made a request for additional support for five more communities which could not be assisted by Concern Universal and ProNet due to lack of means. OCHA Regional Office carried out a mission from 3 to 16 October to bring support to UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana for the Flash Appeal launch and handover with departing UNDAC team.
Note:
(1) Breakdown of flood related figures is annexed to the report.
