Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

BURKINA FASO: Heavy rains leave hundreds homeless
28 May 2008 19:11:43 GMT
Source: IRIN
OUAGADOUGOU, 28 May 2008 (IRIN) - Heavy rains that hit Ouagadougou on 25 May left 542 people homeless, over half of them children, Gabriel Semdé, the provincial director of the government ministry for social welfare and national solidarity, told IRIN.

Up to 93 families lost their homes in two of Ouagadougou's districts. The families are currently sheltered in local schools and community centres.

Most of the homes were mud huts which are often easily destroyed in floods.

"Some victims lost everything in the rains," Gabriel Semdé said. "And this is just the start of the rainy season."

The National Committee for Emergency Aid and Rehabilitation (CONASUR) said it delivered 20 tents and basic food to some of the displaced families and that it was preparing to deliver more.

"We are giving [the homeless] basic provisions and we are stockpiling in case we face more floods in the future," Amadé Belem, CONASUR's permanent secretary told IRIN.

The UN Humanitarian Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) representative in Burkina Faso, Félix Sanfo, told IRIN that OCHA is "closely watching the situation" in partnership with the CONASUR.

Semdé and Belem said they were angry that the government had not made more progress in improving drainage in flood-prone neighbourhoods, given that floods occur each year.

"We must now work to prepare drainage in all parts of the city", Semdé said.

Burkina Faso was one of the West African countries hardest-hit by floods in 2007, with 83 people killed, 140,000 displaced and 26,800 houses destroyed. All 13 of the country's regions were affected.

Despite a UN appeal launched in October 2007 for US$6 million to help rebuild homes some families have reportedly still not receive assistance.

bo/aj/dh

© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.IRINnews.org


AlertNet news is provided by

Email this article       Send comments

Topics

•  Children

MORE >>

NGO latest

•  WER sends food and humanitarian aid to Iraqi refugees in Jordan
WER - UK

•  Safety a priority for staff and survivors of China earthquake
World Vision - Asia Pacific

•  Sexual abuse of children by aid workers and UN peacekeepers too often unreported
Save the Children UK

•  Rising food prices hurting the poorest in war zones
ICRC - Switzerland

•  Save the Children to set up temporary schools in earthquake affected China
Save the Children - Australia

MORE >>

Latest news

•  BURKINA FASO: Heavy rains leave hundreds homeless

•  MYANMAR: Children "face secondary separation" risks

•  WEST AFRICA : How can West Africa become more food-secure?

•  ETHIOPIA: Soaring malnutrition hits children hardest

•  Studies link lead to adult crime, brain damage

MORE >>
IRIN news

Interested in humanitarian issues? Take a quick survey here.

Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-05-28T132025Z_01_PEK26_RTRIDSP_2_QUAKE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/PEK26.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-05-28T094615Z_01_SCN111_RTRIDSP_2_QUAKE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/SCN111.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-05-27T164106Z_01_AFR20_RTRIDSP_2_SAFRICA-VIOLENCE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/AFR20.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-05-27T100441Z_01_PEK19_RTRIDSP_2_CHINA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/PEK19.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-05-27T065811Z_01_PEK12_RTRIDSP_2_QUAKE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/PEK12.htm

Parents cry over the picture of their child who died during the May 12 earthquake at a funeral home in Dujiangyan, Sichuan province May 28, 2008. REUTER/Stringer (CHINA). CHINA OUT. NO ...



Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Wed May 28 19:18:36 2008