August 7, 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Eric Block, 206-321-4957

-- Over 30,000 houses destroyed; 365,000 people affected

-- Mercy Corps opens mobile clinic, provides essential supplies

PORTLAND, Ore. - Amid four weeks of torrential rain, Mercy Corps is providing relief to families affected by flooding in central Sudan. The global humanitarian agency has opened a mobile health camp, is providing food and survival kits to displaced families, and is employing locals to dig canals to drain water away from villages in peril.

A United Nations statement released Monday states that "well over 30,000 houses were fully destroyed there and at least 365,000 people have already been directly affected, including a reported 64 dead and 335 injured."

"The rain is expected to continue until at least mid-September," said Cathy Bergman, Mercy Corps' Senior Program Officer, from the agency's office in Sudan's capital, Khartoum. "August is traditionally the month with the heaviest rains, so conditions here will likely get worse."

Mercy Corps is responding in the southern Sudanese state of Upper Nile, one of five states hit hardest. Local government officials turned to Mercy Corps for help responding to the floods in mid-July. Since then, the agency has:

* Distributed 2,000 survival kits containing water containers, plastic sheeting for shelter, mosquito nets, cooking pans, and other essential items provided by UN agencies;

* Opened a mobile clinic in one of two newly formed displacement camps, stocked with UNICEF-purchased drugs and staffed by doctors and nurses from a local non-profit organization;

* Trucked chlorinated water into the camps; and

* Constructed latrines in the camps and outside homes to prevent outbreaks of disease.

Mercy Corps has been working in Upper Nile State for more than a year, helping residents near its border with northern Sudan rebuild from a 21-year civil war that drove out families, destroyed infrastructure and left local economies in tatters.

In some places Mercy Corps is already looking toward recovery, planning cash-for-work activities to dig drainage canals and helping families rebuild their homes. Bergman says the agency is preparing for additional flood responses and exploring extending the response to other states in northern and southern Sudan.

HOW TO HELP:

Mercy Corps Sudan Emergency Fund Dept. NR PO Box 2669 Portland, Oregon 97208 www.mercycorps.org 800.852.2100

Mercy Corps works amid disasters, conflicts, chronic poverty and instability to unleash the potential of people who can win against nearly impossible odds. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1.3 billion in assistance to people in 100 nations. Supported by headquarters offices in North America, Europe and Asia, the agency's unified global programs employ 3,400 staff worldwide and reach nearly 14.4 million people in more than 35 countries. For more information, visit www.mercycorps.org.

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