Floods: Massive aid 'needed'
2007-09-21 12:36
Geneva - The Red Cross warned on Friday that a massive aid effort is needed to cope with floods in 18 countries across Africa that had already affected at least 1.5 million people and killed nearly 300.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said that the situation was expected to worsen, with more rain forecast in coming weeks.
Niels Scott, operations co-ordinator for Africa, said: "It is evident from the scope of the disaster that a massive aid effort will be needed to help hundreds of thousands of flood victims survive the crisis and rebuild their lives."
Scott said emergency food, shelter and clean water supplies were needed, as well as pre-positioned stocks, flood-proof wells and other measures to prepare for wider flooding.
At least 270 people had died as result of the floods and waterborne disease, according to the governments and humanitarian aid organisations.
Floods toll 'can rise sharply'
Uganda declared a state of emergency on Thursday across several northern and eastern regions worst-hit by rains and floods that struck and area stretching from east to west Africa since August.
Aid workers said they feared the death toll could rise sharply as diseases threatened the parts of the east African country that were least prepared to deal with them.
The Ugandan move followed in the steps of the west African state of Ghana, which declared a state of emergency earlier after exceptional floods in the north of the country.
The Red Cross had launched two initial appeals for relief aid funding so far, one for 290 000 people displaced by floods in Uganda totalling $7.2m and another $2.1m for emergency supplies in Ghana and Togo.
It underlined major concerns about the impact in northern Togo.
Scott said: "The northern Savane region is particularly vulnerable - a UN 2006 study showed that 62.7% of people in the region do not have access to adequate food and one third of children under five years old suffer from malnutrition."
He added: "It will be absolutely vital to get emergency food, as well as seeds and planting tools, to these populations."
According to the United Nations, at least 1.5 million people had been affected by what had been described as the worst downpours in 30 years started sweeping the continent in August.