2023 Africa floods

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Floods and landslides in Rwanda and the DRC around Lake Kivu ECDM 20230510 FL DRC Rwanda.pdf
Floods and landslides in Rwanda and the DRC around Lake Kivu

On 3 April, a landslide killed 30 people and left several missing in North Kivu Province. [9] Another landslide hit North Kivu Province on 8 May, killing six and leaving dozens of miners missing. [10]

At least 440 people were killed and over 2,500 others were left missing by floods in the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo on 5 May. [11] [12] [13] In response to the flooding, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi announced a national day of mourning for 8 May. [12] Two landslides hit North Kivu Province on 9 May, killing ten people in Lubero and at least six people at the Songambele mine, and leaving dozens of miners missing. 100 workers were at the mine at the time of the landslide. [14] [15]

Southeastern parts of the country were affected by flooding on 28 December, killing 60 people, leaving 16 others missing, destroying over 100 houses and damaging 1,400 others, mostly in the Bukavu area. [16]

Ethiopia

Floods affected parts of Ethiopia in March, killing 29 people and affecting 240,000 others. [17]

Kenya

Floods affected several regions of Kenya in late March, killing 12 people, injuring five and displacing 812 families. [18]

In April, four people died and around 36,400 people were affected by flooding in the west and northeast regions of Kenya. [19] [20]

Throughout November, the northern part of the country was affected by the worst flooding observed in Kenya for over a century. At least 170 people and tens of thousands of livestock were killed and over 600,000 others were displaced. [21]

Madagascar

Cyclone Cheneso killed 33 people and left 20 missing in Madagascar, with many homes affected. [22]

At least 17 people died and three were missing due to floods caused by Cyclone Freddy. [23] [24] A total of 6,706 houses were destroyed by the cyclone. [25] [26]

Malawi

ECDM 20230331 FL Malawi update (cropped).jpg

In March, the long-lived Cyclone Freddy hit Malawi, causing flooding which killed 1,216 people, including 537 missing and presumed dead, [27] injured 1,724 others [28] and affected over 500,000 residents in the country. [29]

Mozambique

Due to Cyclone Freddy, at least 198 people died [30] and 201 were injured by flooding in Mozambique. [31] At least 131,300 homes destroyed in the country. [32] [33]

Niger

Floods in Niger ECDM 20230928 FL Niger(1).pdf
Floods in Niger

Thirty-two people died, 30 were injured and 110,000 more were affected by floods caused by torrential rains between June and September. [34]

Rwanda

Heavy rain started around 16:00 UTC (6 p.m. local time) on 2 May 2023 and continued throughout the night, killing at least 135 people. [35] [5] The Sebeya River burst its banks. [5] The most affected areas in Rwanda were Rutsiro, Nyabihu, Rubavu, and Ngororero. [5] More rainfall is expected during the rest of the month. According to François Habitegeko, the governor of Rwanda's western province, people were crushed by the collapse of several houses, and landslides made the main roads in the area impassable, along with flooded fields. [36] [37] 4,100 livestock were killed as well. [4] Landslides and flooding destroyed 26 bridges and 17 roads, five health centers, two health posts, and a hospital. 5,100 homes were destroyed and an additional 2,500 were damaged. [38] Rwanda's public broadcaster RBA stated that the number of casualties may increase as floodwaters continue to rise. [2]

Sierra Leone

A storm brought heavy rain from 9 to 10 May, which caused floods and mudslides that killed at least seven people in the capital Freetown. [39]

Somalia

In Somalia, hundreds of homes were damaged and there were 20 deaths (including a mother and her two children), [40] two injuries and 8,000 people were affected due to floods in Bardhere District on March 24. [41]

Flooding in May killed an additional 22 people and over 460,000 people were affected. [35]

Throughout October and November, floods killed 118 people, damaged 224 schools and displaced 1.2 million people across the country. [42]

South Africa

There were 15 deaths and four missing in eastern South Africa due to floods that lasted from February to March. [5]

Tanzania

In April 2023, seven people died, six were missing, 1,400 were displaced and 60 houses were destroyed by floods in Rukwa. [43] In December 2023, dozens were killed in floods. [44] The floods affected the Hanang region. [45]

In early December, floods and landslides in Hanang District killed 88 people, injured 139 others, damaged or destroyed 1,245 houses, and affected 10,090 people. [46] [47]

Uganda

Accumulated rainfall, floods and landslides in Uganda between April 30 and May 16 ECDM 20230517 FL Uganda.pdf
Accumulated rainfall, floods and landslides in Uganda between April 30 and May 16

At least 23 people were killed, [48] [49] including five from a landslide, three were injured and three were left missing by floods in Uganda. Many houses were damaged or destroyed in the country. [50]

Zimbabwe

Two people were killed in Zimbabwe after Cyclone Freddy hit the country. [51]

Aftermath

Rwanda

Marie-Solange Kayisire, the Minister of Emergency Management, said that relief efforts started immediately. However, continued disruptions by heavy rain hampered efforts to help bury victims of the flooding disaster and providing supplies to victims whose homes were inundated. [52] The Rwanda Meteorological Agency warned that additional rainfall is likely. [53] According to Francois Habitegeko, some people were rescued and transported to hospitals. [5] The Red Cross assisted with relief efforts. [5] Marie-Solange Kayisire, the minister in charge of the emergency department, called on local residents to increase patrols and law enforcement. [36]

See also

Notes

  1. At least 1,456 deaths were caused by tropical cyclones which caused flooding.
  2. At least 2,004 injuries were from floods caused by tropical cyclones.

Related Research Articles

The 2018 East Africa Floods were a natural disaster in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Somalia, Djibouti, and Burundi affecting millions of people. They began when excessive rains began falling in March 2018 following a year of severe drought, leading to massive flooding, landslides, and the failure and overflow of several dams. Record rainfall was recorded in several areas, surpassing various records set during the 1950s and during the 1997–98 El Niño event. Nearly 500 people have lost their lives while hundreds of thousands of others have been displaced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclone Dineo</span> South-West Indian Ocean tropical cyclone in 2017

Tropical Cyclone Dineo was one of the deadliest tropical cyclones on record in the South-West Indian Ocean and Southern Hemisphere as a whole. It was the first tropical cyclone to hit Mozambique since Cyclone Jokwe in 2008.

The 2020 East Africa floods were a natural disaster in Rwanda, Kenya, Somalia, Burundi, Ethiopia, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti and Tanzania, affecting at least 700,000 people. They began when excessive rains began falling in March, leading to massive flooding and landslides. They caused more than 430 deaths, notably in Kenya and Rwanda. In the fall another round of floods hit the African Sahel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tropical Storm Chalane</span> South-West Indian Ocean tropical storm in 2020

Severe Tropical Storm Chalane was the first of three consecutive tropical cyclones that struck Mozambique in the 2020-21 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season. As the fourth tropical depression, third named storm, and second severe tropical storm of the season, Chalane developed out of a zone of disturbed weather which was first monitored RSMC La Réunion on 19 December. Despite conditions slowly becoming unfavorable, the system formed into a tropical depression on 23 December due to the presence of a Kelvin wave and an equatorial Rossby wave, as well as warm sea surface temperatures. The depression soon strengthened into Tropical Storm Chalane on the following day. Chalane made landfall on Madagascar on 26 December and weakened, before emerging into the Mozambique Channel a couple days later. Subsequently, Chalane restrengthened, before making landfall on Mozambique on 30 December. The system weakened as it moved inland, degenerating into a remnant low later that day. However, Chalane's remnants continued moving westward for another several days, emerging into the South Atlantic on 3 January, before dissipating later that day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclone Eloise</span> South-West Indian Ocean cyclone in 2021

Tropical Cyclone Eloise was the strongest tropical cyclone to impact the country of Mozambique since Cyclone Kenneth in 2019 and the second of three consecutive tropical cyclones to impact Mozambique in the 2020–21 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season. The seventh tropical depression, fifth named storm and the second tropical cyclone of the season, Eloise's origins can be traced to a disturbance over the central portion of the South-West Indian Ocean basin which developed into a tropical depression on 16 January, and strengthened into a tropical storm on 17 January, though the storm had limited strength and organization. On the next day, the storm entered a more favorable environment, and it soon intensified to a severe tropical storm on 18 January. Late on 19 January, Eloise made landfall in northern Madagascar as a moderate tropical storm, bringing with it heavy rainfall and flooding. The storm traversed Madagascar and entered the Mozambique Channel in the early hours of 21 January. After moving southwestward across the Mozambique Channel for an additional 2 days, Eloise strengthened into a Category 1-equivalent cyclone, due to low wind shear and high sea surface temperatures. Early on 23 January, Eloise peaked as a Category 2-equivalent tropical cyclone on the Saffir–Simpson scale as the center of the storm began to move ashore in Mozambique. Shortly afterward, Eloise made landfall just north of Beira, Mozambique, before rapidly weakening. Subsequently, Eloise weakened into a remnant low over land on 25 January, dissipating soon afterward.

The 2021 floods and landslides in Sri Lanka are flash floods and mudslides which were caused from heavy torrential rainfalls during May and June 2021. As of 7 June 2021; the monsoon floods affected in about 10 districts, killing at least 17 persons including about 10 because of floods and 4 people because of mudslides. About 245,000 people were affected living in Colombo, Puttalam, Kandy, Kalutara, Kurunegala, Gampaha, Nuwara Eliya, Ratnapura and Galle. More than 800 houses were reported to have been damaged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Niger floods</span> Flooding in Niger

In 2021, Niger has been affected by subsequent floods due to heavy rains, causing several deaths and widespread damage nationwide. Niamey is the most affected area. At least 62 people died, 60 were injured and 105,690 individuals have been affected by the floods. Most fatalities were reported in Maradi Region with 18 deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weather of 2022</span>

The following is a list of weather events that occurred on Earth in the year 2022. The year began with a La Niña. There were several natural disasters around the world from various types of weather, including blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones. The deadliest weather event of the year were the European heat waves, which killed over 26,000 people, 11,000 of which were in France. The costliest weather event of the year was Hurricane Ian, which caused at least $112.9 billion in damages in Florida and Cuba. Another significant weather event was the Pakistan floods, which killed 1,739 people and a total of $14.9 billion in damages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Africa floods</span>

Throughout 2022, floods affected most of Africa, killing over 2,100 people. The worst affected country was Nigeria, with over 610 deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Bukavu floods</span> Flooding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2022

In early 2022, heavy rain caused large floods to hit the city of Bukavu, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 South Asian floods</span>

After over 6,500 people died in flooding in 2020, monsoon floods hit South Asia again in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weather of 2023</span>

The following is a list of weather events that occurred on Earth in the year 2023. The year saw a transition from La Niña to El Niño, with record high global average surface temperatures. The several weather events which had a significant impact were blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclone Freddy</span> Australian and South-West Indian cyclone in 2023 formed in indian ocean South west

Very Intense Tropical Cyclone Freddy, also known as Severe Tropical Cyclone Freddy, was an exceptionally long-lived, powerful, and deadly tropical cyclone that traversed the southern Indian Ocean for more than five weeks in February and March 2023. Freddy is both the longest-lasting and highest-ACE-producing tropical cyclone ever recorded worldwide, traveling across the southern Indian Ocean, Mozambique, and Madagascar for 37 days and producing 87.01 units of ACE. Additionally, it is the third-deadliest tropical cyclone recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, only behind 2019's Cyclone Idai and the 1973 Flores cyclone. Freddy was the fourth named storm of the 2022–23 Australian region cyclone season, and the second very intense tropical cyclone of the 2022–23 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humanitarian response to Cyclone Freddy</span>

Many countries allocated relief aid items to southern Africa after Cyclone Freddy, with a main focus on the humanitarian crisis in Malawi. Items included hygiene supplies, food rations, and safe drinking water among other things Total donations reach the millions in USD, and there was also a primary focal point on the historic and ongoing outbreak of Cholera in the region. Several nations also expressed condolences to Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar. The widespread and prolonged impacts prompted extensive relief efforts from the affected nations and multiple intergovernmental agencies. UNICEF and the WFP provided relief items for those affected, as well as temporary shelters.

The 2023 African Great Lakes floods are floods in April and May 2023 that have killed hundreds of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weather of 2012</span>

The weather of 2012 marked the fewest fatalities from natural disasters in a decade, although there were several damaging and deadly floods, tropical cyclones, tornadoes, and other weather events. These include blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat waves, and wildfires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 South Asian floods</span>

Flooding affected parts of South Asia since March of 2023, killing many and destroying buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Rio Grande do Sul floods</span> Natural disaster in Brazil in September 2023

In September 2023, heavy rainfall and strong winds from an extratropical cyclone resulted in the deaths of at least 47 people in Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil, 940 injured, and caused $1.3 million in damage. Flooding also impacted several municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul, including Bento Gonçalves, Caxias do Sul, Ibiraiaras, Lajeado do Bugre, Nova Bassano, Santo Expedito do Sul, and São Jorge. The floods also prompted a state of emergency to be declared in the state by governor Eduardo Leite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Rwanda floods</span> 2023 disaster in Rwanda

The 2023 Rwanda floods occurred in April and May 2023. Heavy rain caused flooding and landslides in north-western Rwanda, causing the deaths of 130 individuals as of May 3, 2023.

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2023 Africa floods