Sudan – Floods Leave Over 70 Dead and 16,000 Homes Destroyed

Heavy rain and flooding since early June has affected about about 80,000 people in Sudan, according to the latest UN Humanitarian Bulletin for Sudan of 31 July 2016.

The report says that rainfall between early June and late July caused flash floods in many states across Sudan, particularly in Kassala and Sennar States, damaging houses and infrastructure and leading to loss of life and productive assets.

The UN reports:

“almost 16,000 houses have been destroyed or damaged due to heavy rains and flooding across Sudan to date in 2016.”

In late June, heavy rains and flash floods in Sennar State destroyed 1,160 houses and damaged another 1,320 homes. Around 15,000 people were affected.

At least 9 people died in flash floods in El-Fasher, capital of North Darfur, Sudan, on 15 July. Seven people were also reported killed after floods in Khartoum and Al Jazirah States on 14 July, 2016.

The UN report says that West Kordofan also suffered from severe floods as a result of heavy rainfall between 16 to 18 July, 2016, where two people died, 8,673 people were affected, 541 houses collapsed and 698 were partially damaged.

The UN adds that heavy flooding in parts of Kassala State in mid to late July has affected 27,735 people.

Interior Ministry Statement

Yesterday, Radio Dabanga in Sudan reported that the country’s Interior Minister, Lt. Col. Ismat Abdel Rahman, said that the rains and floods in the country have led to the death of 76 people.

The minister said that flooding had affected 13 of the country’s 18 states, and that thousands of homes have been damaged or completely destroyed in Kassala, North Darfur and El Gezira. Reuters reported that flooding had completely destroyed 3,206 houses, and damaged 3,048 others in the eastern province of Kassala.

Blue Nile at “Alarming Levels”

Reuters added that “the Nile is at its highest levels in more than a century, swollen by heavy rain in many parts of the East African country, according to the water and irrigation ministry.”

According to Radio Dabanga, the minister acknowledged that “the situation is still worrying because of the effects that have not been contained, and the threat posed with the expectations of more rains at high rates and rise of the levels of the Nile.

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS Net), say that “water levels in the Nile River and its branches have reached very high levels for this early point in the season, with levels at the Ed Diem monitoring point in the Blue Nile reaching alarming levels.”

FEWS Net added, “This highlights the increased risk of flooding as heavy rains forecast in the Ethiopian and Eritrean highlands during the next few weeks are expected to flow downstream and may cause additional flooding.”

Rainfall and Forecast

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Centre observed heavy rainfall in the Ethiopian and Eritrean highlands, as well as eastern Sudan, since early July. Between 500 mm and 750 mm of rain has fallen in some of these areas since 05 July, 2016.

NOAA forecast further rain for the region over the next 2 weeks at least.

In their outlook for Africa for the period for the period 03 to 09 August, NOAA says “there is an increased chance for above-average rainfall over southern Sudan, western Eritrea, western Ethiopia, portions of South Sudan, Chad and into Nigeria.”

In their outlook for Africa for the later period of 10 to 16 August, the forecast is similar, with “an increased chance for above-average rainfall over southern and eastern Sudan, much of Eritrea, and portions of Ethiopia and South Sudan.”

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