According to the first findings, a total of 2,050 households has been hit and about 10,000 acres of fertile farm lands which grow essential crops are submerged. The situation is threatening livelihoods and may expose many communities to food insecurity. (
Nawal Hassan, Sudanese Red Crescent Society, in Khartoum
Relentless rains in South Sudan have caused many rivers to overflow directly affecting thousands of people. The severe rainy season has especially wreaked havoc in large areas of North Bahr El Gazal state where the town of Awiel and six additional surrounding villages along the river Lol were devastated.
A joint evaluation team from the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are in the affected area to carry out a rapid assessment and identify urgent needs.
Insecurity
According to the first findings, a total of 2,050 households has been hit and about 10,000 acres of fertile farm lands which grow essential crops are submerged. The situation is threatening livelihoods and may expose many communities to food insecurity.
“The health and hygiene situation is extremely precarious,” warns George Gigibeira, the IFRC’s representative in Sudan. “More than 140 cases of acute watery diarrhoea have been recently reported. The number of malaria cases is also on the rise and is expected to increase further.”
Sudanese Red Crescent volunteers are working hard to bring assistance directly to the most vulnerable people, while its headquarters in Khartoum, in partnership with the IFRC and ICRC missions in Sudan, has sent shelter materials to meet the immediate needs of 2,000 households.
The Sudanese Red Crescent supported by the IFRC had put in place contingency stocks and conducted volunteer trainings to ensure rapid response in case of emergencies. Contingency stocks contained cooking sets, water tanks, tents, sand bags, latrine slabs and mosquito nets.