Attachments
Description of the Event
What happened, where and when?
On Monday 15 May 2023, torrential rain accompanied by violent winds hit Franceville, the chief town of the Haut Ogooué Province in Gabon, causing extensive damage. The damage affected a large number of families, as well as public and private infrastructures, destroying schools, shops and electricity poles.
Nearly 3,000 people, or 500 households were affected, with almost 200 homes destroyed or swept away by the violent winds that accompanied the rains. Several businesses were also affected, as well as schools and administrative buildings.
Some of the victims found refuge with relatives, friends and acquaintances. The public authorities also visited the disaster sites. The city's 1st and 3rd districts were the worst hit, and rain keeps falling in Franceville.
Scope and Scale
According to information received from the Haut Ogooué provincial Red Cross committee, torrential rains accompanied by violent winds hit the town of Franceville on Monday 15 May 2023, causing significant damage. The damage affected around 500 households, as well as infrastructure such as schools, shops and electricity poles littering the roads, with major safety risks for the population. The provincial RC Committee assessed the situation with volunteers, and from every indication, 303 households, or 1,818 people, were the most vulnerable of all those affected.
Since the beginning of the rainy season, torrential rains damaged several public infrastructures in Franceville and other localities of the Mpassa Division. Buildings and houses were also affected, as well as access to road networks, particularly, the railway linking Libreville to Mpassa, and the road linking these areas to the capital. The government needed to work hard to restore highway roads as accessing them was a major challenge, if not, it would have been virtually impossible during the rainfalls. The most common means of access was by air.
More than 200 houses were affected. Most of the needs resulted from losses caused by high winds and collapsing roofs or buildings. The trees in the vicinity also contributed to the deterioration of public and private property.
Torrential rains in Gabon are slanting and heavy, generally accompanied by landslides and/or violent winds throughout the rainy season. The rainy season generally lasts October until end May, early June, depending on climatic variations. In general, an average monthly rainfall of 200 to 250 mm is expected. The Haut Ogooué is the wettest province.