AROUND 88,000 PEOPLE DISPLACED BY FLOODS IN BURKINA FASO, UN REPORTS

An estimated 48,000 people uprooted by severe flooding in Burkina Faso are sheltering in temporary accommodation such as schools, churches and public buildings while another 40,000 are living with host families, the United Nations reported today.

A UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1414">UNDAC) team that went to Burkina Faso in the wake of the recent flooding also found that facilities in many of the buildings in which people are taking shelter, especially sanitation, are under strain.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA) said that a flash appeal is being finalized for the emergency in Burkina Faso, which is among the countries hardest hit by the deadly floods across West Africa that have affected 600,000 people in the region, claimed nearly 160 lives and destroyed crops and infrastructure.

There has been damage in Burkina Faso to the Central University Hospital, bridges, dams, roads, schools and agricultural land. The areas most affected are the capital, Ouagadougou, and surrounding region.

A survey conducted last week by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/">FAO) identified the need to support the many small farmers affected by the floods with technical and livelihood support.

UN humanitarian agencies and their partners are providing emergency relief, including food, medical supplies, shelter material, hygiene kits and disinfection materials to those affected.

Floods caused by torrential rainfall in West Africa have also affected Sierra Leone Senegal, Ghana, Niger and Sierra Leone.

BENIN: UN AGENCIES INCREASE ASSISTANCE IN WAKE OF FLOODS

United Nations humanitarian agencies have stepped up their relief efforts in the West African country of Benin, where more than 20,000 people have been displaced or affected and numerous farms destroyed by floods.

Mosquito nets, water purification tablets, blankets, tents and mats are being distributed and assistance is being provided with water and sanitation and with maternal health care in the wake of the floods.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is providing 3,000 chlorine tablets for water treatment and 1,000 mosquito nets, and is also funding a health awareness campaign and water and sanitation activities, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told journalists today.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has also donated blankets, nets, mats and tents, while the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) plans to spend up to $100,000 on health care.

A UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team is in the country to help local authorities deal with the floods, which follow some of the heaviest rainfall in Benin – beset by floods every wet season – in recent years. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is also spending $100,000 to coordinate the overall relief effort.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was also monitoring the situation, particularly to ensure that widespread outbreaks of meningitis do not occur.

The bands of rain have moved northwards across Benin in recent days, with flood waters subsiding in the southern cities of Cotonou and Porto Novo and heavy rains and high rains in the north.
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FLOODS DISPLACE THOUSANDS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA, UN SAYS

Floods across southern Africa, caused by extreme rainfall, have caused massive damage to land and property and displaced thousands of people, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.

In Angola alone, the lives of 160,000 people have been upset by the rains and OCHA fears that number is likely to increase, with schools and other public buildings being used as shelter, interrupting education and other public services.

With some $600,000 already allocated to various emergency actions in Angola, UN humanitarian agencies are requesting more funds for shelter, food and other necessities from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which is managed by OCHA.

In Namibia, where 13,000 people have been displaced, many health facilities and schools are either flooded or inaccessible, the Office reported.

Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba has declared an emergency for the north-central and north-eastern part of the country and appealed for international assistance. In response, a Flash Appeal based on the outstanding needs jointly identified by the Government, the UN and humanitarian partners, is being finalized.

In addition, the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Team has arrived in Namibia to help survey the situation and provide support to the local authorities.

Also in Namibia, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is assisting with sanitation and communication materials, as well as with planning for gaps in education and protection of displaced persons. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is also supporting protection projects within the relocation camps.

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has allocated $27,800 to the Namibian Ministry of Health for emergency kits to ensure basic health care for about 10,000 people, which includes five tons of medicine for diarrhoeal diseases and other emergency materials.

On the east coast, Cyclone Izilda is now dissipating south-west of Madagascar but could still pour more rainfall onto central and southern Mozambique, OCHA said.

The Office added that international response to the previous two cyclones that affected Madagascar in January has been adequate, but $400,000 is still required as an emergency measure to rehabilitate 20 classrooms for some 3,000 children who risk losing an entire school year.

Most of Zambia, northern and southern Malawi, and northern Botswana have also been hit by deluges, OCHA said.
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