Nearly 1.6 million people have been affected by downpours and floods across the region
June 1 (EUROPA PRESS) –
At least 528 people have died and more than 480,000 have been forced to leave their homes due to the torrential rains and floods that have been hitting the East African countries for weeks, where almost 1.6 million people have been affected by somehow.
June to September is a major rainy season, especially in the northern and western parts of the Greater Horn of Africa, where it generally provides more than 40 percent of the annual rainfall and more than 90 percent in northern parts, according to the Bureau for the United Nations Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, responsible for the balance updated until this past Thursday.
In Kenya, 315 people have died, 188 have been injured and 38 are missing, while more than 306,520 (61,304 families) have been affected by heavy rains and floods between March 1 and May 29, 2024, including some 293,200 people (58,641 families) have been displaced, according to the National Disaster Operations Center (NDOC).
In Tanzania, 155 people have lost their lives due to the impact of heavy rain, landslides and flooding, while an estimated 126,000 people have been affected as of early May, according to authorities.
In Somalia, more than 268,000 people have been affected by the heavy rains and floods of the Gu season (April-June), including some 38,700 people who have been displaced or relocated as of May 16. Nine people lost their lives, seven schools were damaged and more than 3,000 shelters were destroyed in 13 affected districts.
In Ethiopia, more than 560,000 people have been affected by heavy rains and flooding experienced in April and early May in several districts, including Afar, Amhara, Central Ethiopia, Oromia, Sidama, Somali and Southern Ethiopia.
In Burundi, the impact of torrential rains has affected more than 239,780 people and forced more than 36,900 people to be displaced from their homes due to flooding from January 2024, until May 4. More than 10 percent of the country’s food growing areas have been damaged and 19,000 homes and 200 classrooms have been destroyed. The floods are also linked to the country’s longest cholera outbreak, with 1,631 confirmed cases. The Burundi Meteorological Institute forecasts continuous rains until the end of the primary rainy season, from May to June.
Finally, in Uganda more than 52,190 people have been affected by heavy rains, floods and landslides between January and May, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Uganda Red Cross. An estimated 23 people were killed and another 241 injured.
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