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September 4, 2017 at 4:35 pm #73726znModerator
Floods in Africa in August killed 25 times more people than Hurricane Harvey did
Yomi Kazeem
Floods in Africa in August killed 25 times more people than Hurricane Harvey did
The rainy season is usually welcomed in parts of Africa as a timely break from the heat of the dry season. But so far, in 2017, the rains have given way to flood disasters which have led to a death toll numbering in hundreds.
Like severe floods in southern Asia, the disasters in Africa have been largely under-reported compared to similar events in Houston where Hurricane Harvey, a once in a “500-year storm” has wreaked havoc. But while the devastation in Houston could have hardly been avoided, many of the recent flood disasters in Africa have been exacerbated by years of poorly planned drainage systems. In another contrast, while rescue and relief operations in Houston have successfully saved countless lives and helped survivors, the same can’t be said in parts of Africa that have been badly flooded, worsening the death toll. Across Texas, 50 people have been reported dead due to the tropical storm but across Africa, intense rains and mudslides killed at least 1,240 people in August.Freetown, Sierra Leone
In mid-August, Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital, was rocked by its worst natural disaster in recent times as a devastating mudslide destroyed homes and buried hundreds under the debris. An unofficial death toll suggests more than 1,000 casualties as, with hundreds still missing, the possibility of finding any survivors dimmed in the days after the tragedy. Sierra Leone’s president Ernest Bai Koroma described the mudslide as overwhelming and called for “urgent support.” The mudslide comes only three years after the Ebola outbreak which killed nearly 4,000 people.
Security forces search for bodies from the scene of heavy flooding and mudslides in Regent, just outside of Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown, Tuesday, Aug. 15 , 2017. Survivors of deadly mudslides in Sierra Leone’s capital are vividly describing the disaster as President
It’s not the first time Freetown—which records the highest annual rainfall in Africa—has suffered severe flooding. But the coastal city’s problems have been worsened by decades of poor waste disposal habits and the government’s lack of urban planning. More than half of homes in Freetown are defined as slums and most are built on hillside outskirts at the cost of rapid deforestation making the mudslide more devastating than it should have been.Niamey, Niger
Last week, thousands of people in Niamey, Niger’s capital city, were advised to evacuate their homes following severe flooding. Back in May, the United Nations had warned that more than 100,000 people were at risk of the flooding and so far this year, the death toll has topped 40 people. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed forcing stranded residents to take shelter in local schools.
Over 200 people are believed to have died after a mudslide hit a fishing village in DR Congo’s Ituri province in mid-August. At the time, Pacifique Keta, deputy governor of the northeastern province, said rescue operations were “complicated” given the mountainous terrain of the area and the continued adverse weather. Like in Freetown, residents in the area have mushroomed on steep hillsides over the years worsening the effects of floods.
Benue, Nigeria
More than 110,000 people have been displaced in Benue, a state in Nigeria’s middle belt, over the past week after intense rains. In addition to thousands of homes, local markets and government offices were badly affected by the flood, according to the state emergency agency. But help has been slow to come. While president Muhammadu Buhari says he’s received reports of the flood with “great concern” and has ordered relief efforts, very little has been forthcoming. Collins Uma, a Benue-based writer says most of the relief efforts made available so far are down to the “efforts of individuals and groups, not the government.”
Jidenna, the US-born Grammy-nominated musician with a Nigerian father, has also launched a social media campaign to raise money for victims of the flood.
The floods in Benue are also not a new event. “This happens every year and will likely happen next year, but the government pays lip service to it,” Uma tells Quartz. “If we had working drainage systems, this would not happen.”
September 4, 2017 at 4:36 pm #73727znModeratorHouston, Bangladesh and Global Warming
Floods in Africa in August killed 25 times more people than Hurricane Harvey did
The pictures that came out of Houston and other areas that were hard hit by Hurricane Harvey were pretty awful. There were numerous photographs of people with young children and pets wading through high water in the hope of being rescued by boat or helicopter. There was also the picture of elderly people in a nursing home sitting in waist-high water waiting to be rescued. It was a pretty horrible story.
Because the United States is a wealthy country, we do have large numbers of boats and helicopters and trained rescue workers able to assist the victims of the storm. We also have places where we can take these people where they will have shelter, as well access to food and medical care. However bad the human toll will be from Harvey, it would be hugely worse without these resources.
In this context, we may want to take a moment to think about Bangladesh, a densely populated country on the other side of the world. More than 160 million people live in Bangladesh. Almost half of these people live in low-lying areas with an elevation of less than 10 meters (33 feet) above sea level.
Bangladesh experiences seasonal monsoon rains which invariably lead to flooding, as well as occasional cyclones. The monsoon rains and cyclones are likely to be more severe in future years as one of the effects of global warming. This will mean that the flooding will be worse.
Bangladesh does not have large amounts of resources to assist the people whose homes are flooded. It does not have the same number of boats and helicopters and trained rescue workers to save people trapped by rising water. Nor can it guarantee that people who do escape will have access to adequate shelter, medical care or even clean drinking water. This means many more people are likely to be dying from floods in Bangladesh as a result of the impact of global warming.
Ironically, as Houston and Texas were still being hit by Harvey last week, a building collapsed in Mumbai, India, likely the result of the pressure from this year’s monsoon rains and the resulting floods. Nineteen people were reported dead from the collapse, with another 30 having been rescued after being trapped in the rubble.
So far this summer, more than 1,000 people across South Asia have died as a result of flooding from the monsoons. We are likely to see many more incidents like this building collapse, as well as more people drowning in floods due to the effects of global warming.
In the US, the debate over global warming is often treated as one between those who like government intervention and those who support a free market. This is nonsense.
Allowing people to emit greenhouse gases without paying for the damage done is like allowing them to dump their sewage on their neighbor’s lawn. No one seriously argues that it is a “free market” principle that they get to dump their sewage on their neighbor’s lawn. Everyone understands that we are responsible for dealing with our own sewage and not imposing a cost on our neighbors.
It’s the same story with the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, even if the chain of causation may be somewhat more complicated. At this point, we have pretty clear evidence that the planet is warming, with the predictable bad effects like rising oceans and more severe storms. We also know that greenhouse gas emissions are the main cause.
For this reason, the dumping of sewage analogy is appropriate. The United States and other wealthy countries are imposing enormous costs, including the loss of large numbers of lives, through our emissions of greenhouse gases.
It is understandable that a rich jerk like Donald Trump might not want to pay for the damage he does to the world, especially when the people most affected are dark-skinned, but it is not a serious position. It has nothing to do with market philosophy; it is just a story of not accepting responsibility.
The emissions from the United States and other wealthy countries will result in a lot of Harvey-like disasters in Bangladesh and elsewhere in the developing world. We should be moving quickly to try to limit the harm. We should also be giving these countries the assistance they need to deal with the disasters that we have caused them. This isn’t a question of charity, it’s a question of whether we think we can get away with ruining the lives of the world’s poorest just because we are rich and powerful.
September 4, 2017 at 9:54 pm #73747
MackeyserModeratorWe all know that if the US and western countries actually had to pay their fair share in lives and treasure for their actions, things would be markedly different.
Sorta like women’s healthcare would change if men could also have babies…
Sports is the crucible of human virtue. The distillate remains are human vice.
September 5, 2017 at 1:34 am #73754znModeratorSorta like women’s healthcare would change if men could also have babies…
So far this summer, more than 1,000 people across South Asia have died as a result of flooding from the monsoons. We are likely to see many more incidents like this building collapse, as well as more people drowning in floods due to the effects of global warming.
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