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Red Cross launches pre-emptive appeal for W.Africa floods
Written by: George Fominyen
DAKAR (AlertNet) - The Red Cross has launched a preliminary emergency appeal for $850,000 to help 25,000 people threatened by floods and landslides in West and Central Africa. Since June heavy rains have caused flooding in nearly all the countries along the Gulf of Guinea and in Central Africa, disrupting the lives of around 150,000 people, especially in Benin where at least seven people died, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said in a statement. The appeal is in readiness for the second wave of floods expected from late August to October. These are usually more severe as rivers overflow as a result of accumulated rainfall, IFRC officials told a news conference in Dakar, Senegal, on Monday. "We no longer have to wait for disasters to strike to mobilise resources and provide a response. This is often too late and too little", said Daniel Sayi, the IFRC deputy head for West and Central Africa. A forecast for July to September by the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development predicts heavy rainfall in countries along the Gulf, which experts say is likely to cause floods and landslides. Heavy seasonal rains regularly bring floods in West and Central Africa. In 2007 the region suffered its worst flooding in decades. More than 800,000 people had to leave their homes; about 300 others died, while homes, crops and infrastructure were washed away. To avoid a repeat in 2008, the IFRC launched a pre-emptive appeal for $730,000, the first in the organisation's history to be based solely on a seasonal forecast. Funds only arrived in late August but the IFRC believes the approach helped to save lives and save money. "Although the floods were more severe than in 2007, there was a 30 percent reduction in response cost in 2008 because the communities already had their contingency plans, as a result there was a lot of material damage but less loss of life," said Norbert Allale, an IFRC disaster management response delegate. The IFRC appeal will help national Red Cross societies in 16 countries to increase regional emergency stocks, set up community- based early warning systems, review contingency plans and train volunteers in assessment and relief coordination. Twelve of these countries (Benin, Chad, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo) are among the world's least developed, according to the United Nations. The four others (Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria) have already faced difficulties with seasonal rains this year. At least 19 people died in June in the Ivory Coast after heavy rains led to landslides and floods in Abidjan.
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