Yemen and the DRC: flash floods leave behind devastation

By Nathan Morley

The United Nations is working with the government of Yemen to assess the needs of 14,700 internally displaced people who have been caught up in the floods in Aiden. The government has now declared the southern port city a disaster zone. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded in the middle of flooded streets, and in one part of the city a news report showed a boy sitting in a styrofoam box using it as a plank to row across a thoroughfare.

The country is currently at war with the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Since 2014 Houthi rebels have been fighting the Yemeni government with military support from a coalition led by Saudi Arabia. More than 3 million Yemenis are displaced due to the conflict. Most are currently in camps and especially exposed to the risk of spreading diseases such as cholera and malaria.

Meanwhile, at least 36 people have died and 42 others were injured by floods in the Democratic Republic of Congo. the DRC's Eastern provinces have been hard hit by heavy rains in recent days. As per the United Nations estimates, more than 1.2 million people have been displaced by the catastrophe and are in dire need of food as well as the other basic amenities.

Oxfam has said that it was extremely worried about the recent storms which have also hit other provinces across the region. In a statement they said people have died, houses have been damaged and the flooding may accelerate the spread of cholera.