On Wednesday, Chad’s transitional President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno declared a state of emergency due to flooding that has affected over a million people in the central African country.
In a televised address, the leader stated that the disposition will allow authorities to better contain and manage the disaster.
Residents of N’Djamena are building dykes and using dugout canoes to escape the flooded areas, with roughly half of the city underwater.
The government announced a response plan to provide shelter, food, and sanitation, but many people, including Aziza Marie Noel, are still waiting.
“Our belongings are outside, everyone is outside, and we don’t even have a place to stay, the N’djamena resident laments.
“We have no money. Even with the food we had, everything is lost. So, it’s up to them [Editor’s note: the authorities] now to see how we are.”
Cameroon's Far North region faces devastating floods https://t.co/pcx9MIGWtd
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Although parts of Chad are faced with heavy rainfall each year, the precipitation seen in 2022 is unprecedented, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration.
The hardest-hit provinces are mostly located in the south. 18 provinces out of the country’s 23 have been disaster-stricken.
Transitional leader Deby Itno called for technical and financial support from allies and partners.
Swollen rivers have destroyed over 470,000 hectares of crops and farming land sparking fears of food shortage.
In June Chad declared a food emergency. The United Nations estimated last year that 5.5 million Chadians or more than a third of the population needed urgent humanitarian aid.
The situation has only worsened following the war in Ukraine and the climate crisis.
