Severe weather damages camps hosting 140 000 IDPs in Burkina Faso and Nigeria
Heavy rains since early June 2020 have triggered widespread floods in West Africa, causing damage particularly to camps accommodating more than 140 000 Internally Displaced People (IDP) in Nigeria and Burkina Faso.
In Burkina Faso, heavy rainfall from June 5 caused flooding in several communes in the Center Nord region. Among the affected areas were Kongoussi, Pensa, and Barsalogho.
Floodwaters in the Center Nord region damaged camps hosting 140 000 IDPs.
Kongoussi is about 100 km (62 miles) north of the capital Ouagadougou, which saw 29 mm (1 inch) of rain on June 9. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (OCHA), flooding left 24 people injured, about 700 shelters destroyed, and 2 900 damaged.
#Burkina_Faso
La pluie d'aujourd'hui a occasionné des dégâts importants sur le site des déplacés internes de Kongoussi. En rappel, la nuit du 19 au 20 Avril 2020 ces derniers ont vu une partie de leurs abris endommagé à la suite des intempéries. pic.twitter.com/ZbsSyrr95U— L'héroïne du Faso (@TiemtoreFarida) June 5, 2020
"Urgent needs include the rehabilitation of 2 915 affected shelters; distribution of essential household items and water hygiene and sanitation kits to affected households, urgent relocation of IDPs living in flood-prone areas, and new food distributions," UN OCHA wrote.
"For displaced families in Koungoussi, this is the second flooding incident of the season."
Some of the camps were in areas known to be vulnerable to floods and had also been inundated in April this year.
1,246 persons who reside in IDP camps across Borno State have been displaced after 240 shelters were damaged by heavy weather conditions as the rainy season begins pic.twitter.com/XcjdOo8WJk
— Michael Oche (@Michaeloche4) June 10, 2020
Wind Storm hits Benisheikh the Headquarter of Kaga L.G Borno State. Thousands were rendered homeless, worst hit were the IDP's pic.twitter.com/lTppUSxkps
— Engr Alibe Mustapha Ali MNSE (@MustaphaAlibe) June 9, 2020
In Nigeria, heavy rainfall accompanied by a windstorm impacted parts of Borno State on June 8, inflicting damage to shelters in several IDP camps, the International Organization for Migration reported.
The severe weather also affected around 1 200 people and damaged 240 shelters in IDP camps in Jeere, Damboa, Konduga, and Maiduguri– the areas that bore the brunt of the rains.
Featured image credit: Engr. Alibe Mustapha Ali
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