West and Central Africa: Flooding Situation Overview - as of 16 October 2024

FLOODING SITUATION OVERVIEW

Torrential rains and severe flooding have affected approximately 6.9 million people in
West and Central Africa so far in 2024.

Out of 16 countries that have been hit by flooding, the most affected are Chad with
1.9 million affected people, followed by Niger with 1.4 million, Nigeria with 1.3
million and the Democratic Republic of the Congo with 1.1 million. Cameroon, Mali
and Guinea have a combined total of over 880,000 affected people. As of 16 October,
more than 1 million people have been internally displaced due to flooding in eleven
countries, notably Nigeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia,
Mali, and the Central African Republic. Floods have also severely affected livelihoods
and access to basic social services. More than 627,000 houses were destroyed or
damaged. Flooding also affected 555 schools and 169 health facilities.

In the last ten days alone, an additional 300,000 people were reported to be affected
in the region, causing additional population displacement and damage to property
including homes. During this period, 38 people were reported dead and 145 injured,
bringing the totals for the year to date to 1,501 and 4,496, respectively. Furthermore,
more than 105,000 hectares of agricultural land were affected, bringing the total area
unsuitable for agricultural and livestock production to about 824,000 hectares. An
estimated 2,000 head of cattle were also swept away by the floods during this
period, raising the total to approximately 122,000 for the year to date.

Overall, the number of people affected and the impact on agricultural production, and
therefore on the food and nutrition security of vulnerable communities, have far
exceeded those of previous years. The humanitarian situation will deteriorate unless
effective action is taken. Humanitarian partners and governments have already
issued several alerts with the aim of meeting the needs of affected people.