Attachments
Operation Start Date: 22-06-2024
Operation Timeframe: 3 months
Operation End Date: 30-09-2024
DREF Published: 15-07-2024
Targeted Areas: Boucle Du Mouhoun, Centre-Nord, Hauts-Bassins
Description of the Event
Date of event
07-06-2024
What happened, where and when?
Since April, there have been floods in several parts of the country, the worst of which occurred in Boulsa in the province of Namentenga, in the Centre-Nord region.
On the night of 29 May 2024, the town of Boulsa was hit by torrential rain between 8pm and 10pm. The rain, accompanied by strong winds, caused extensive material damage and loss of life (07 deaths, including 3 children under the age of 10 and 2 adults, a 35-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man, and 42 injured people treated in the various health centres. Two children under the age of 15 were evacuated to Ouagadougou for more appropriate care.
According to initial reports, as of 07 June, more than 1,000 households had been affected. This has been confirmed by the current registration, which shows a provisional total of more than 1,147 households, or 7,648 people affected, and 925 houses either completely or partially destroyed.
Burkina Faso is a country vulnerable to extreme rainfall and flooding, with major humanitarian consequences. Every year during the rainy season, thousands of people are affected. The country has in-country response capacity, but support remained needed. Official data from Department of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA) received on 13 June 2024 indicates the affected households that required assistance and local Government expressed their request for support to the NS.
Scope and Scale
The province of Namentenga, like the other provinces of the Centre-Nord region, is experiencing a very difficult humanitarian situation as a result of the security crisis in Burkina Faso. Following attacks by Unidentified Armed Groups (GANI), thousands of people have settled in the town of Boulsa and are living in total poverty. This situation, combined with the structural poverty of the local communities, has exacerbated their living conditions.
This flooding has further increased the vulnerability of the communities living in Boulsa, particularly the internally displaced people, who have suffered greatly from the consequences of the floods. They are also among the communities most affected by this situation, given the precariousness of the shelters they occupy. More than 448 emergency shelters have been damaged. They have also lost all their essential household items and a large part of their food stocks, obtained thanks to the solidarity of the host communities or humanitarian aid. It should also be noted that the people most affected are women, children and the elderly. Most of the displaced households affected are currently living in very difficult conditions, having lost virtually everything, and are hoping for humanitarian assistance to help them cope.
The host communities are also affected because the situation also had a major impact on their homes and their materials which were destroyed or severely damaged by the houses collapsed or impacted. More than 477 houses have been destroyed, as well as livelihoods lost through the destruction of small businesses and the loss of animals. This situation increases their degree of vulnerability, especially as they have long used their resources to support the displaced populations in their care. This could have a negative impact on social cohesion, as some host households find themselves in a precarious situation and require emergency humanitarian assistance to cope.