Number of victims of floods in Niger rises: 53 dead, 18,000 affected: UN

As of July 15, the floods had claimed 53 lives and affected 2,501 households and a total of 18,098 people, according to a report by the UN Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (OCHA) sent to AFP on Wednesday.

The floods also destroyed 1,636 houses and 29 classrooms and killed 10,930 livestock, the agency said, citing the Nigerian Ministry of Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Management.

OCHA warned that more than 247,000 people could be affected by the floods before the end of the rainy season, which usually ends in late September.

UNICEF, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration and the Red Cross will support the Niger government by providing food supplies, emergency shelter and hygiene kits in the areas most affected by the deteriorating weather conditions.

“Exacerbated by global climate change, floods are a recurring threat in Niger,” the UN agency said.

According to the Nigerien authorities, almost all regions of the country are affected, with the Maradi region in central southern Niger being hit particularly hard.

But the capital Niamey, with its two million inhabitants, which is often hit by deadly floods, has so far been spared.

To mitigate the impact on the population, authorities have sent text messages urging people to “stay safe,” “keep their livestock safe,” and call a toll-free emergency number.

Niger’s rainy season, which lasts from June to September, regularly causes deaths, even in the country’s normally dry desert regions. The 2022 floods were particularly bad, leaving 195 dead and affecting 400,000 people.

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