When a flood strikes, families lose everything; their homes wash away, their goats and cows and chickens drown, their crops are destroyed, and many may even lose family members to the deluge. In the aftermath of such a devastating event, families need aid to get back on their feet and return to their homes. Unfortunately, flooding and other extreme weather events are forecasted to become more common as climate change worsens, and in the recent few months; there has been outbreaks of floods across the region.

Sudan
The latest rains in August has caused torrential rains and floods that killed at least 65 people and destroyed more than 14,000 homes in Sudan. More than 30,400 homes were damaged, and almost 700 cattle died due to the flooding, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Some 2,000 gold miners were trapped in two mines in eastern Gadarif state due to the bad weather, the Sudan News Agency reported. The Horn of Africa nation through which the Nile river flows is in the midst of its rainy season, which lasts from June to October.

Ethiopia
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 30, 000 have been displaced since late July. Aside from Afar, other regions that have been affected are Gambella, Oromia, and SNNP. In Afar, the disaster prevention and food security coordinating committee said flooding was severe in the districts of Asayita, Afambo, Dubti, and Mile. 17 450 of the displaced lived in the five localities of Asayita. The government has assisted more than 1,100 people in two localities of the same district.
The Awash River overflowed last week, displacing 20 000 people. No human fatalities were reported, but thousands of cattle have perished.

Somalia
UNCHR reported that more than 150,000 Somalis have been forced to flee their homes since late June, including some 23,000 in the last week alone, due to flash and riverine flooding in the Southern regions of Somalia. Rapid assessments indicate that communities in Hirshabelle and Southwest States are amongst the worst hit. The year has seen extreme flooding, displacing over 650,000 people across the country since the beginning of the year.

Somaliland
During the last week, there was a reduction of rainfall amounts in the southern parts of Somalia. On 11th August, a heavy storm was observed in Somaliland in Salaxley area, about 60 km south of Hargeisa. The rainfall station in that area recorded a total of 44 mm in less than 24 hours. This led to significant damage of infrastructures including schools, houses, roads, electricity, and interruption of the communication network in the area

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