The International Federation of the Red Cross is preparing for what it says will be heavy rains in the region this year, particularly in Senegal, Gambia and Mauritania. One village in southern Senegal already reports losing dozens of homes and animals because of severe flooding in the past week.In the Casamance region of southern Senegal, teacher Houssainatou Boiro says heavy rains that began last week have washed away her house as well as the rice and couscous she was storing to feed her children.
Boiro's village, Sinthiou Koundara, is one of the first in Senegal to report heavy damage as the rainy season in West Africa gets underway. Last year heavy rains that hit the region caused flooding that drove hundreds of thousands of residents from their homes says Moustapha Diallo.
Diallo is the communications officer for the International Federation of the Red Cross' West and Central Africa Bureau. "Last year more than 450,000 people were affected in 16 countries in West and Central Africa. And among them, Senegal and Burkina Faso were the most affected countries," he says, "In Senegal, more than 150,000 people were affected by flooding in the suburbs of Dakar and in many regions and villages of the country."
The Red Cross works with the African Center of Meteorological Application for Development to predict what the rainy season will bring this year.
Diallo says the rains are expected to be particularly heavy in Senegal, Gambia and Mauritania. He adds the Red Cross is preparing for the possible flooding by stocking up on supplies to distribute to families in the areas where heavy rains are predicted.
Heavy Rains Predicted in Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania | News | English
via www1.voanews.com
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment