Ituri, DR Congo

Over 200 people are believed to have died after a mudslide hit a fishing village in DR Congo’s Ituri province in mid-August. At the time, Pacifique Keta, deputy governor of the northeastern province, said rescue operations were “complicated” given the mountainous terrain of the area and the continued adverse weather. Like in Freetown, residents in the area have mushroomed on steep hillsides over the years worsening the effects of floods.

Benue, Nigeria

More than 110,000 people have been displaced in Benue, a state in Nigeria’s middle belt, over the past week after intense rains. In addition to thousands of homes, local markets and government offices were badly affected by the flood, according to the state emergency agency. But help has been slow to come. While president Muhammadu Buhari says he’s received reports of the flood with “great concern” and has ordered relief efforts, very little has been forthcoming. Collins Uma, a Benue-based writer says most of the relief efforts made available so far are down to the “efforts of individuals and groups, not the government.”

Jidenna, the US-born Grammy-nominated musician with a Nigerian father, has also launched a social media campaign to raise money for victims of the flood.

The floods in Benue are also not a new event. “This happens every year and will likely happen next year, but the government pays lip service to it,” Uma tells Quartz. “If we had working drainage systems, this would not happen.”

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