Monday August 10, 2020
Tens of thousands of people in Afar region of Ethiopia in need of emergency aid after displaced by heavy flood
Emergency aid effort in the Afar region. (ENA)
Flash food caused extensive damage in the Afar region of Ethiopia. Tens of thousands of people are displaced, according to sources from the region.Disaster Prevention and Food Security Program Coordination Office in the Afar region has confirmed this week that 32,000 people are displaced in connection with Awash river flooding.
The accident happened as the Awash river and some tributary rivers caused floods after heavy rainfall. Amibara, Dubti, Aisaita, and Afambo are among the severely affected areas of the region.Hundreds of people have lost their livestock and property to the flood. Tens of thousands of displaced people need urgent humanitarian assistance.
Awol Arba, president of the region reportedly said that the administration in the region will do everything in its power to help those affected by the flood, as reported by Ethiopian News Agency (ENA).
It also said that it will coordinate with the Federal government to address the situation. People in the flood vulnerable areas of the region are evacuated. In some places, the government used helicopters to evacuate residents.
On the other hand, reports emerging on social media indicates that what has been done so far is negligible compared to the magnitude of the damage.
Afar People’s Party official, Kontie Moussa, has shared on his twitter page crowd funding initiatives for the much-needed humanitarian assistance.