Far North Region: Floods destroy over 8,000 homes, kill seven.

According to OCHA, torrential rains in that part of the country have triggered widespread flooding, leading to the destruction of thousands of 

homes and displacing tens of thousands of people. 

To the body, images from the Region show the devastating effects of the rains; with the town of Yagoua completely submerged, leaving residents desperate and battlingling for survival.

The floods, the report stated, have wreaked havoc on a large scale, with close to 8,700 homes reportedly destroyed and neighbourhoods washed away by the rising water levels.

The report states that the Far North Region remains the most hit by the devastating effects of the floods as a result of its proximity to the Logone River and its many tributaries.

According to OCHA, the recent disaster has proven particularly destructive, as close to 19,000 households, representing about 158,000 people, have been directly affected by the disaster. 

The flooding, the report stated, has displaced thousands of residents, many of whom are seeking shelter in temporary camps or with host families in unaffected areas. 

In addition to loss of lives, homes, and personal belongings, the floods, the report has highlighted, have taken a heavy toll on the Region’s agricultural sector, with the destruction of nearly 3,000 hectares of crops. 

This, the reported notes, is threatening food security in the Region, which heavily relies on subsistence farming. 

OCHA also reports that 1,178 livestock have also been lost, further compounding the economic impact on rural families who depend on their animals for livelihood.

The report emphasised that seven of the Region’s 28 localities are greatly affected, with Blangoua in the Logone and Chari Division bearing the highest burden of the disaster. 

The locality, which is situated along the Logone River, has seen its vast land submerged under water, thereby displacing around 75,000 people and leading to significant losses in homes and agricultural production.

The locality of Goulfey, in the same Division, is facing similar problems where the mayor is said to have reported the collapse of over 1,100 homes as well as the loss of more than 200 livestock with five people dead.

He is said to have called for government and partners to come to their assistance.

According to OCHA, in the wake of the disaster, humanitarian organisations and local authorities have been scrambling to provide the much-needed relief to the affected population. 

At the level of OCHA, they have been able to mobilise emergency resources, including 30,000 sandbags, in an effort to reinforce dikes and mitigate further flooding in critical areas like Kousseri and surrounding.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3227 of Thursday September 12, 2024