For the third consecutive year, the Southern Africa region has experienced flooding, albeit later than usual, affecting more than 500,000 people and displacing nearly 100,000 people in Angola, Botswana, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia and Zambia. The floods have washed away more than 230,000 hectares of crops when the region has still not recovered from the previous two years of floods/cyclones and drought, which left nearly eight million people food insecure and many more at heightened vulnerability. The region is battling a cholera epidemic affecting more than 150,000 people in nine countries. Of the six countries affected Angola and Namibia are the worst affected.
In Angola, excessive rainfall has had a devastating impact in the southern and central regions, resulting in an estimated 220,000 flood-affected people, including more than 76,000 people displaced in the provinces of Cunene, Kuando Kubango, Moxico, Malange, Bie, Huambo and Lunda Sul. Additionally, 225,000 hectares of agricultural land has been destroyed and will severely affect food security.The UN and its partners requested for US$2.4 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to provide swift emergency assistance to address immediate, health, shelter as well as water and sanitation needs. UNICEF received US$1.2m for the provision of water and sanitation and the World Health Organisation (WHO) received US$700.000 for the provision of emergency health care facilities. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) received US$445.000 for shelter materials to displaced communities.