Floods render over 30,000 people homeless in DR Congo

More than 30,000 people are without homes in Zongo in north-eastern DR Congo due to floods.

Heavy rains and rise in the water levels of the Ubangi River, since mid-October caused the disaster. Mayor of Zongo Placide Kumugo Soko said those affected include some 24,000 children

Isabelle Yata is in charge of organizing a site for displaced people.

“It has been three-and-a-half weeks now that we are under the mango trees as you can see with women, mothers, with no shelter, no covers and there is no clean water to drink. We are struggling. We need help, tell the government to come and help and then we will be satisfied but there is no food either and some mothers and children that are suffering”, she said.

Mayor of Zongo said his people are desperately in need of water, medicine and food.

Aid workers say they have been waiting for help from government agencies for the past 28 days.

“Seven out of Zongo’s 8 neighbourhoods are flooded. We have counted 5,137 homes affected and 36,822 people affected up until now. There are fields, 293 hectares of fields that have disappeared underwater and we registered one death, that of a one and a half-year-old child and a house collapsed on a family and there were 3 cases of fractures including one old woman and two children under the age of 6”, said humanitarian coordinator for Zongo, Balise Mundemba.

The charity Caritas Congo said neighbouring region of North Ubangi was also affected by floods, saying cities of Mobayi-Mbongo, Bosobolo, Businga, Yakoma and Gbadolite have been badly hit. They are calling for emergency assistance.