A. Situation Analysis
Description of the disaster
On Friday 5 August, several neighbourhoods were flooded after heavy rains hit in the capital city of Chad, Ndjamena. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the rains keep affecting various regions of the country, including the province of Logone Oriental, causing human and material damage, and loss of livelihoods to a significant part of the population.
The rapid assessment conducted by Red Cross of Chad (RCC) teams between 5 and 10 August 2022 identified at least 20,657 people affected, and the number continues to rise. Material damage is estimated at 2,067 houses completely destroyed. Due to lack of real-time information, this estimate does not represent all the damage (information provisionally made available by OCHA on 5 August 2022 in the snapshot).
During the week of 01 to 7 August 2022, the successive heavy rainfall in N'Djamena, combined with the low-lying position of the Gozator hospital and the lack of drainage in its vicinity caused the main basin behind it to overflow and led to an unprecedented flooding of the hospital. The hospital is still surrounded by waters, making it difficult or even impossible for patients to access care and for providers to attend to patients in distress.
In Logone Oriental, the various villages and cantons affected include: Yamodo, Siagon, Goubéti, Kaba-Roangar, Békan Donia, Timbéri, canton of Goré and town of Goré in the Department of Nya-Pendé. The torrential rain that fell in this part of the province caused serious human and material damage. To have figures on this natural disaster, a field visit was carried out by the Disaster Manager of the Nya-Pendé departmental Red Cross committee, under the hierarchical supervision of the National Director of Emergency Relief of the National Society (NS) (see needs analysis section for findings). These downpours, which are reminiscent of the 2020 flooding, do not spare the capital city, N’djamena. To date, the most affected neighbourhoods in N’djamena are those of the 2nd, 7th and 9th districts. Some affected population reported the destruction of their homes. Others pointed out that their stocks of foodstuffs and belongings were swept away by the floods.
Other areas have already been affected this season, such as the town of Abéché (Ouaddaï) on 16 July 2022, the provinces of Mayo-Kebbi and MayoKebbi Ouest, the province of Sila where the town of Gozbeïda (department of Kimiti) and the department of Koukou-Angarana) were drenched by heavy rains on 29 July affecting more than 8,000. The Gozamir refugee camp in the area was particularly affected. Needs for Essential Household Items (EHIs), food, shelter and access to health and nutrition services were identified in these areas as priorities. However, this DREF will focus on the city of Ndjamena and the province of Logone Oriental, which are the areas that were affected by the recent floods in August. Find further information in the needs analysis section.
Forecasts by the National Meteorological Agency continue to alert to a possible increased rainfall in the coming days. Already in April, the 2022 Regional Climate Outlook Forum for Sudano-Sahelian Africa (known by its French acronym: PRESASS) held in Niamey had alerted to a high risk of flooding in the Sudanese and Sahelian zones of West and Central Africa. The climate experts invited to the Forum predicted "a generally wet 2022 rainy season in the Sahel, with early to medium start dates, late to medium end dates, short to medium dry spells in the western part and medium to long dry spells in the eastern part, and overall surplus to medium run-off in the main river basins". To cope with these flood risks, the forum proposed the strengthening of the watch, the building of the intervention capacities of the agencies in charge of flood monitoring, the reinforcement of protective dikes and the maintenance of dams and road infrastructures, avoiding the anarchic occupation of flood-prone areas by houses and crops, and strengthening the communication of seasonal forecasts and their updates. The PRESASS forum also advised close monitoring of alert thresholds in high-risk flooding sites, especially the middle basin of the Niger River, the upper basins of the Chari and Volta rivers, and the tributary river of Lake Chad (Komadougou and Yobé), cleaning of gutters, and provision of reception sites for populations at risk of flooding.