Published: July 9, 2024
MONROVIA — Forty communities across Montserrado, Margibi, and Grand Bassa counties in Liberia were hit by unprecedented rainy season floods, most recently on June 28. Flooding has displaced more than 48,000 people and claimed the lives of two. Homes have also been severely damaged alongside critical infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, according to the Liberia National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA).
‘’Women, children, and the elderly are the majority of the affected. The scale of the flooding is unlike any we have ever witnessed. Our systems are overwhelmed and cannot address all the competing needs associated with this crisis’’ said Ansu Dulleh, Executive Director of the NDMA. Dulleh called on partners, both local and international, to support the NDMA in addressing the needs of the affected population.
An estimated 100,000 people are at risk of flooding, windstorms, and coastal erosion, with incidences of water-borne diseases also expected to rise. According to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2020-2024 for Liberia, the country has limited resilience and adaptive capacity to combat the effects of climate change. With the rainy season not yet halfway through, the compounded emergencies—mass displacement, injuries, deaths, damaged homes and public buildings, and heightened health risks—are expected to worsen in the coming days and weeks.
NDMA, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the UN community at large are working together to address the threat to the health, livelihood, safety, and security of the affected people. NDMA needs USD 10 million to provide lifesaving food and non-food assistance to address the emergency needs of the affected people.
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