BURKINA FASO: People in Burkina Faso try to rebuild their lives after severe flooding

Aid agencies in Burkina Faso are set to mark International Disaster Reduction trying to assess the humanitarian needs of 800,000 people in Africa the U.N. estimates have been hit by severe flooding. Aid agencies were set to spend International Disaster Reduction Day (October 10) assessing the massive humanitarian aid needed to deliver relief materials to hundreds of thousands of people across West Africa left destitute by floods. The United Nations estimates 800,000 people in 13 countries across West Africa alone have been affected by flooding, with Ghana, Togo, Burkina Faso and Mali the hardest hit. onservative estimates put the number killed across Africa at some 200. From cotton producers in Mali to millet growers in Mauritania, those who work the land in some of the world's poorest nations spent much of the year praying for rain as clear skies and bright sunshine parched the earth. But when the heavens opened, the downpours were some of the heaviest for a decade, sending floodwaters swirling through mud-hut villages, destroying homes and washing away crops from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east. "It took us by surprise when the waters came early in the morning around 5 am. We woke up with our feet in the water. We were so totally and completely surprised that we didn't even have time to save some belongings from the house. That's why all our things have been buried under the ruins of the house," said Brahima Sanou, who has been sheltering in a tent since his house was destroyed by flooding in the town of Bama, some 400 kilometres from the capital Ouagadougou. "When I come back to the disaster left behind in my house I feel very nervous, because I don't know when the next catastrophe will come to hit us," Sanou told Reuters looking at the remains of his former home where he was the head of a family of 15. Thousands of families in the region have lost their livelihoods and possessions, many sheltering in makeshift camps like the one in Bama. Images of flooded villages in East and West Africa have been beamed around the world but, for many, the economic impact in the coming months is likely to prove devastating. The destruction of food crops and the flooding of roads have meant what produce does make it to market is often selling at a premium beyond the reach of many, particularly those who rely on cash crops like cotton for their income. According to the U.N.'s International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) body, disaster loss is on the rise with grave consequences for the survival, dignity and livelihood of individuals, particularly the poor, and hard-won development gains. Disaster risk is increasingly of global concern and its impact and actions in one region can have an impact on risks in another, and vice versa. The importance of promoting disaster risk reduction efforts on the international and regional levels as well as the national and local levels has been recognized in the past few years, at international conferences around the globe, like the one in Davos last year. The mayor of Bama, a town of around 80,000 people, says prevention can start at the most basic of levels. "If I had to launch an appeal today, it would be to sensitise the population to avoid living in low terrain and also for the destitute people, to help them have more solid buildings, to avoid them from crumbling in a flood situation," Bama's mayor, Siaka Sanou said. The recent waves of flooding in Africa have hurt many nations economy. Mali and Togo have both slashed their forecasts for cotton production in recent days, putting additional strain on a sector which employs an estimated 15 million people in West Africa and which is struggling against tumbling world prices and market-distorting subsidies paid to U.S. farmers. But the more immediate concern is keeping displaced people alive. Another effect of the flood will be the current interruption in learning for children, as many schools have been transformed into makeshift refugee camps. And given the economic fallout, many of their parents will be unable to pay their fees for the foreseeable future. The U.N says there is now international acknowledgement that efforts to reduce disaster risks need to be systematically integrated into policies, plans and programmes for sustainable development and poverty reduction, and supported through bilateral, regional and international cooperation, including partnerships. Despite the growing understanding and acceptance of the importance of disaster risk reduction and increased disaster response capacities, disasters and in particular the management and reduction of risk continue to pose a global challenge, says ISDR, and for those worst hit, all there is left is the hope that one day soon they will be able to rebuild their lives.

ITN Source | October 10, 2007

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