Cameroon/Chad: Floods - Oct 2019

On 1 October, the Logone River overflowed, flooding a valley in Zina district, located within Logone-et-Chari department of Far North region. According to one source, flooding restricted access to several villages within the valley, although the exact name or number of villages is not confirmed. Populations within the commune of Zina have been forced to leave villages, although the scale of displacement from the floods is not clear. The flooding impacts will likely be aggravated by the ongoing conflict in the region, high levels of food insecurity, and the degree of poverty in Far North, one of the poorest regions of Cameroon. The floods are expected to have the greatest impact on poor households and people who have been displaced, both by the current floods and from previous displacements; Far North region has over 480,000 IDPs, returnees, and refugees. (ACAPS, 11 Oct 2019)

Since 28 September, the rainy season in Cameroon has caused mass flooding in the departments Logone-et-Chari and Mayo-Dany, Far North region. Across 3 cities, approximately 50,000 people have been evacuated, including 20,000 who have lost their homes. Crops and public infrastructure, such as roads and WASH facilities, have all been affected. Access is constrained as responders must rely on boats to reach communities in need. A number of health centers are no longer functional and over 40 schools have been closed. Short-term needs are the provision of shelter, health care, hygiene, and clean drinking water. The damage to crops from the floods is expected to have a longer term impact on the harvests, which may lead to further food insecurity in the region. (ACAPS, 23 Oct 2019)

Media report approximately 100,000 people affected across the transborder region of Southwestern Chad and Northeastern Cameroon, following the overflow of the Logone River and Lake Maga. Houses have been destroyed, roads flooded and bridges damaged. (ECHO, 24 Oct 2019)

A total of 25,582 persons have been affected (3,402 households) in 4 sub-divisions. Therefore, based on the analysis made in the region in view of the various other projects in the pipeline, 52 per cent of the affected population are women while the remaining 48 per cent are men. (IFRC, 24 Oct 2019)

From July to October, heavy floods were reported in the southern and the eastern provinces affecting more than 175,000 people. (OCHA, 27 Nov 2019)