Yemen and the DRC: flash
floods leave behind devastation
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| People inpect damage caused by floods on a street in Aden, Yemen |
Flash floods in Yemen's second city Aden has left streets
submerged and destroyed homes.
By Nathan Morley
The United Nations is working with the government of Yemen
to assess the needs of 14,700 internally displaced people who have been caught
up in the floods in Aiden. The government has now declared the southern port
city a disaster zone. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded in the middle of
flooded streets, and in one part of the city a news report showed a boy sitting
in a styrofoam box using it as a plank to row across a thoroughfare.
The country is currently at war with the worst humanitarian
crisis in the world. Since 2014 Houthi rebels have been fighting the Yemeni
government with military support from a coalition led by Saudi Arabia. More
than 3 million Yemenis are displaced due to the conflict. Most are currently in
camps and especially exposed to the risk of spreading diseases such as cholera
and malaria.
Meanwhile, at least 36 people have died and 42 others were
injured by floods in the Democratic Republic of Congo. the DRC's Eastern
provinces have been hard hit by heavy rains in recent days. As per the United
Nations estimates, more than 1.2 million people have been displaced by the
catastrophe and are in dire need of food as well as the other basic amenities.
Oxfam has said that it was extremely worried about the
recent storms which have also hit other provinces across the region. In a
statement they said people have died, houses have been damaged and the flooding
may accelerate the spread of cholera.
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