While
the scars left by the floods that swept the north of Togo are
still raw, torrential rains have flooded the village of Agotimé-Akoumassi,
located in the prefecture of Agou in the heart of the plateau
region, 150km from the capital, Lomé. The people in this
fertile area, which borders Ghana, are living a nightmare.
The recent torrential rain that lashed the area caused the river
to burst its banks, with dire consequences for the people living
there. It destroyed homes and devastated crops, resulting in
a thousand people being displaced.
“We have lost everything. The rain has destroyed our farms
and swept away our supplies and our belongings. Our fields have
been flooded, and not even the livestock have been spared,”
laments Tété Koffi Emmanuel, group leader at school
A, to which some 700 flood victims were evacuated.
“Several hundred people are still trapped by the floods,
cut off from the rest of the village. So far, they have received
no assistance,” he adds. The only bridge linking this
area to the rest of the village, a rudimentary bridge too weak
to withstand such heavy rain, was swept away by the raging waters.
Luckily, no lives have been lost.
The Togolese Red Cross volunteers were the first to mobilize
and began to help evacuate the flood victims right away. They
helped affected families to bail the water out, distributed
sleeping mats and provided first aid and health advice to victims.
They also provided meals for displaced people.
In spite of this assistance from the Red Cross and some sacks
of rice provided by the Agou prefecture authorities, the situation
remains critical. For the time being, therefore, health and
food are the main priorities.
“There has been an outbreak of diarrhoea, gastroenteritis
and malaria in the area,” remarks Ozou Kokar, head nurse
at the Agotimé Adamé health centre, a situation
that prompted the Agou authorities to take measures to 'purify
well water'.
Prempay Laté, president of the Agotimé-Akoumassi
village development committee and group leader at school B,
where around 100 flood victims have taken shelter, observes
that: “These people need food urgently. We are desperate
because we have nothing left. The few sacks of rice that we
were given are already running out.”
This cry from the heart contrasts starkly with the rich land
and lush greenery that stretches as far as the eye can see.
The threat of a food crisis looms large in Agotimé-Akoumassi.
Countless hectares of corn crops, a dietary staple for local
people, and reserves of cereals have been ruined by the floods.
Many livestock also died in the floods, seriously affecting
the livelihoods of people in the area.
The situation is also very worrying in the northern part of
the country, in the savannah region. The extent of the floods
in this part of the country prompted the government to launch
an appeal for international aid.
Togolese Red Cross volunteers have played an active role in
operations to evacuate people in this region. They have already
distributed 41 tonnes of corn provided by the World Food Programme
to 820 families affected by the floods and continue to distribute
hygiene kits provided by UNICEF (jerry cans, soap, purification
tablets, containers, etc,) in the region. They are also carrying
out activities to raise awareness about malaria and waterborne
diseases. Stagnant water provides a breeding ground for mosquitos,
which transmit malaria.
Even if the situation in the savannah region begins to stabilize,
“it will be necessary to increase monitoring with regard
to the usual risks associated with floods,” stresses Richard
Fradin, head of the evaluation team sent to Togo by the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
The International Federation has launched a joint emergency
appeal for CHF 2.5 million (EUR 1.5 million/USD 2.1 million)
for operations in Ghana and Togo. The money will be used, among
other things, to provide affected communities with seeds and
tools to enable them to regain their self-sufficiency.
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People
had to leave their houses because of the floods, like
this one in Agotimé-Akoumassivi.
(p16517) |
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Women
at the relocation site prepare a meal.
(p16515) |
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A
school in Agotimé-Akoumassivi where nearly 700
people have been relocated.
(p16516) |
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Women
prepare a meal together in Agotimé-Akoumassivi.
(p16514) |
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