The British Red Cross has launched an appeal to provide emergency relief to more than a million people suffering the impact of severe flooding across West and East Africa.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected across six countries – Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Togo and Burkina Faso. The heavy rains have displaced cattle and destroyed crops, leaving whole communities vulnerable and extremely short of food. Thousands of houses have also collapsed under the torrential conditions and, since it is still the rainy season, the situation could yet deteriorate.

The British Red Cross, working alongside the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, will use funds to provide urgently needed relief to those affected by the crisis. This will include shelter kits, kitchen sets, jerry cans, blankets, soap, candles and water purification tablets.

Emergency relief

In both East and West Africa, there is particular concern that the scale of the flooding might lead to serious health problems due to the spread of waterborne diseases and contaminated drinking water. Throughout Uganda, communities are facing the worst floods in many years, and in Ethiopia acute watery diarrhoea and communicable diseases are becoming a significant problem.
 
Rachid Boumnijel, relief support officer, said: "For some communities, this is the worst flooding that they've experienced in years. Thousands of people have lost their homes and belongings, and become exposed to sanitation-related diseases as a result of the floodwaters. If heavy rain continues, the situation will only worsen."

Niels Scott, Federation operations coordinator for Africa, said: "We are concerned about reports of increasing cases of cholera and watery diarrhoea, and the fact that flooding has contaminated wells and destroyed latrines."

Health risks

He added: "These conditions are a serious threat to the health of the populations in the flooded zones, greatly increasing the risk of water-borne disease epidemics and malaria. They are compounded by difficult access to health structures, due to the widespread destruction of roads and bridges."

The Africa Floods Appeal will cover past, present and near future flooding events in numerous countries throughout the continent, including those currently affected and those potentially affected in the future. In the unlikely event that we raise more money than can be reasonably and efficiently spent, any surplus funds will be used to help us prepare for and respond to other humanitarian disasters either overseas or here in the UK. For more information, visit redcross.org.uk