DR Congo: Floods - Apr 2020

The city of Uvira, centre of the eponymous territory, in South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), experienced heavy rainfalls that caused floods in the whole city and its surroundings during the night of 16 to 17 April 2020. The rains also affected neighbouring Maniema. Initial rapid assessments conducted show that these floods caused great damages in nine (9) out of the 14 districts of the city, affecting approximately 70,000 people who have been obliged to leave their houses to move in with host families or in temporary shelters set up by authorities, in schools and churches. Besides, at least 38 deaths, 185 wounded and 100 separated children have been registered. To note, there are 8 official shelters set up by authorities and 21 unofficial sites. Approximately 12,000 people (18 %) of affected communities now live in shelters while the remaining 58,000 have found refuge in host families. (IFRC, 05 May 2020)