Emergency as Sudan floods make 50,000 homeless

More than 50,000 people have been turned out of their homes s by what aid agencies have called Sudan’s worst flooding in years. Twenty-seven people were killed and 30 more injured in fierce flash flooding that turned part of the north eastern African country’s capital into lakes. For some living in Khartoum, the rains, on August 26 were a temporary problem. But, for the tens of thousands of people living in the vast shanty towns surrounding the city, everything was lost. Families’ homes were swept away along with everything they owned. "Entire communities in Khartoum were left without shelter when 20,000 homes from informal settlements were unable to hold out to the force of rushing waters,” the aid agency, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said today.

Without warning, thousands of vulnerable families with very little were exposed to the rains, with nothing to stave off flood water and, perhaps, diseases. They now face a shortage of drinking water and food. Khadim Alla Abd Alrahman, a young mother of 35 years old, told ReliefWeb news service: "I will never forget that day in my life; it was a horrible day for both me and my family, because my house and properties have gone in a very dramatic way.”

The flooding also damaged hospitals and schools, roads and bridges, hampering aid delivery. According to the Humanitarian Affairs Commissioner's report, 27 people died and thousands were made homeless. With more torrential rains forecast in coming months, the agencies warned that problems were likely to worsen for all those uprooted. With poor water and sewage systems, an outbreak of water borne diseases such as cholera malaria, and hepatitis A could have grave consequences, they said. "The risk of an outbreak of water borne diseases emanating from pools of stagnant water and collapsed latrines is imminent for thousands of people living in the capital if more aid is not forthcoming," said Dr Dietrich Ficher, head of IFRC, told Reuters news agency.

By Hayley Jarvis for SOS Children