Hundreds of thousands of people are in urgent need of assistance in Congo because of flooding
ABC News
The United Nations says widespread floods in the Republic of Congo have pushed hundreds of thousands of people to be in urgent need of assistance
BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo -- Widespread floods in the Republic of Congo have pushed hundreds of thousands of people to be in urgent need of assistance, said the United Nations Friday.
Unusually heavy rainfall has caused nine of the countries 12 departments to be affected with floods damaging health facilities and schools and submerging farmland, said the World Health Organization in a statement. More than 330,000 people have been impacted.
“WHO is committed to supporting the government to ramp up emergency response to save lives and ensure access to critical basic services,” said Lucien Manga, a representative in the Republic of Congo for the organization.
The rainfall is twice the average of what was recorded between 2022 and 2023 and the floods have destroyed or damaged 34 health facilities, 120 schools and more than 64, 000 houses, it said.
The flooding occurred along Congo’s riverbanks around the Ubangi River with the United Nations warning it could lead to the outbreak of water-borne diseases such as cholera and impede access to healthcare.
