African floods claim 270 lives

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African floods claim 270 lives
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Last Modified: 21 Sep 2007
By: Lucy Manning

At least 270 people have now died in the severe floods across Africa and more than one million people have been affected, after torrential downpours caused flash floods, which submerged towns and washed away bridges, farms and schools.

Countries from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea have been affected. West African nations including Ghana and Nigeria are among the worst-hit, along with Sudan and Uganda on the other side of the continent.

Africa - a continent more used to dealing with drought - now has a very different problem on its hands. Across swathes of east and west africa, 18 countries are struggling to cope with the downpours. The UN estimates one and a half million people have been affected.

Ghana is now under a state of emergency as villages, roads and bridges have been swept away.

In Uganda, as in other places, the water has washed away the crops. The goverment has also decalred a state of emergecny in the worst-hit areas. There's now serious concern about food shortages and with the roads damaged, its difficult to get aid to some of the waterlogged places. Even the UN is struggling to get its vehicles through.

So helicopters are the only way to get out to the cut-off villages - the Red Cross is warning a massive international aid effort is needed, with basics like food, clean water and shelter now a priority. The concern is that with more rain likely over the next few weeks, the situation will only deteroriate.

With the floodwater running into wells, there is now a risk of epidemics breaking out, and some have already died from waterborne diseases.

For some of these people, they face yet another humanitarian disaster - after famine and civil war, they must now cope with the floods.

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/s ... ves/829447