BY Elias Ngalame
President Paul Biya has allocated 350 millionfcfa as funds to relief victims of heavy floods in Cameroon’s Far North region. The relief funds that will be accompanied by some humanitarian equipment like matrasses, blankets, buckets, soap etc to assist the vulnerable communities, many of whom have been rendered homeless after rainstorms caused severe flooding across Far North region, the Minister of territorial administration Paul Atanga Nji announced in a press briefing on Friday September 13, 2024.
The heavy flooding unfortunately has claimed 11 lives, destroyed 40,000 homes and displaced 180,000 people, Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji told the press in Yaounde.
“It is unfortunate that we have casualties, but we have to assist the population. We need to anticipate and put in place preventive measures in cases of flood. The vulnerable population or those impacted by the floods must receive assistance in the fastest possible way,” Minister Atanga Nji said.
He added that within 48 hours, about 50 trucks loaded with relief materials would be dispatched to the region.
In response to mounting pressure from heavy rains, local authorities had earlier requested urgent aid for flood victims. In August, Cameroon’s meteorological center warned of continued turbulent weather, predicting that heavy rains and strong winds would persist in the region, which has already experienced devastating downpours.
Reports from OCHA,UN humanitarian organization says Cameroon’s Far North region has been experiencing flooding since the start of the rainy season, which began in the second half of July with an average rainfall frequency of one day out of four. The intensification and recurrence of rains starting from August 10, 2024, has led to a progressive increase in rainfall levels between August 10 and August 19, 2024 and reaching critical levels in the Logone et Chari and Mayo Danay divisions that led to serious floods.
The peak of the floods was recorded on August 28 with the breaking of water retention dikes in Mayo Danay, causing the town of Yagoua and other villages to be flooded. The most affected districts are Blangoua, Mackary, and Zina in the Logone and Chari department, and Maga, Yagoua in the Mayo Danay division.
In the Logone et Chari division, the affected districts are, Blangoua with nearly 75,000 people affected
Makary with 43,000, Zina with 9,000 people affected.
In the Mayo Danay division, Maga with 18,000 people affected, Yagoua with nearly 13,000 people, the statistics from the humanitarian organisation states.
The rains continue with weather forecasts predicting more significant impacts in the divisions already mentioned above, as well as in others that have also been experiencing heavy rainfall for several days. Notably, in the Diamaré division, where Ndoukoula district has reported over 400 people affected to date, while in Mayo Tsanaga, Mokolo district, has recorded nearly 200 affected people.
“These floods have struck vulnerable communities already facing challenges due to climate change, pockets of drought, locust invasions, granivorous bird invasions, pachyderm invasions and a highly volatile security context not to mention the structural poverty of the Region. All these factors significantly affect the resilience and livelihoods of these communities,the reports say.
The Cameroon government says the necessary steps will be taken to bring the situation under control.
“ We doing everything as instructed by President Paul Biya to ensure preventive measures and reduce the impact of these climate induced disasters in the future,” Minister Paul Atanga Nji Assured.
