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UN appeals for $18 million to assist flood victims in Burkina Faso

UN appeals for $18 million to assist flood victims in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso's main hospital Yalgado Ouédraogo under floodwater
United Nations aid agencies and their humanitarian partners launched an appeal today for more than $18 million to help the victims of deadly floods in Burkina Faso, one of the countries hit hardest this year by the annual wet season in West Africa.

Nearly 160 people have died across West Africa as a result of heavy rains since June, and an estimated 600,000 people across five countries – Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, Senegal and Sierra Leone – have lost their homes or been otherwise affected by the floods.

In Burkina Faso alone, as many as 150,000 people will need assistance for the next six months, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported today as it launched the ‘flash appeal’ for $18.4 million.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said he hoped donors would respond quickly to assist survivors of the floods, “which have hit many people who were desperately poor to begin with. As the longer-term economic impact is also bound to be serious, assistance now will be crucial for the recovery effort that must follow.”

Much of Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, has been inundated by flood waters since torrential rains fell at the start of the month. A key hospital has been badly damaged, and other infrastructure – including roads, bridges and schools – has been destroyed.

OCHA said that while precise data was difficult to obtain, the Government estimated that as many as 130,000 people have taken shelter in either temporary accommodation such as schools and churches or in the homes of host families.

The appeal identifies food supplies, health care, education, shelter, and water, sanitation and hygiene items as among the most urgent needs for flood survivors.

The situation for many Ouagalais is particularly acute as they were already extremely poor before the floods struck, subsisting on one meal a day, and they now face total destitution. The city’s poorest neighbourhoods are among those that have been hardest hit.

A UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team has already visited Burkina Faso to determine the priority issues for authorities and aid agencies and the team found that many of the public buildings where people have taken temporary shelter are under strain.