AFRICA/ETHIOPIA - At least 118,000 affected by serious flooding in Ethiopia

Addis Ababa (Agenzia Fides)- The United Nations World Food Programme warns that least 118,000 people have been affected by exceptionally serious floods in vast areas of Ethiopia over the past few weeks. The humanitarian organisation reports that torrential rainfall caused the death or disappearance of several hundred people, and increased the already high number of persons displaced, homeless or suffering from flood connected diseases.
WFP said that although floods are frequent in the rain season from June to September, this years rains have been of unprecedented intensity pushing water levels in three dams in the west, south and north of the country above the security barrage.
WFP, working with other international humanitarian organisations, sent 37.5 tons of grain, 1.1 tons of vegetable oil, 4 tons of legumes and 50 tons of biscuits and integrative food to be distributed among people in difficulty. The aid was sent to 4 localities where displaced persons have found temporary shelter.
“This is a race against time to get aid to people in need” said WFP acting director in Ethiopia Abnezer Ngowi,. “What is more, this is a race we must win because too many lives are in danger”.
Thousands of people have been cut off and stranded by the waters overflowing from the River Omo about 800 km south of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Floods in the Omo Valley have caused the death of about 300 people and destroyed 3,000 animals. In Dire Dawa 254 people died in floods and a great number of people are still missing which means the death toll could rise.
Up to 15 August 1,300 people had been rescued but the work of rescue teams is hampered by persistent heavy rain and damaged infrastructures.
There is growing concern for the situation in the Amhara region in northern Ethiopia where 20,000 people have been affected by overflow from Lake Tano. About 10,000 people have fled to make-shift shelters.
The Ethiopian government has set up a work group to estimate the extent of flood damage. Aid has also arrived from American forces stationed in a nearby base in Djibouti. A call was launched by the Ethiopian government to the international community for boats and helicopters to evacuate people from the flooded areas. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 29/8/2006 righe 37 parole 419)