The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Tuesday that the main devastation so far has occurred in Chad, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and Togo.

At least 72 people drowned and 699 others were injured, the report said.

Every year we sound the alarm about the effects of climate change and what it means for people’s lives: their homes, their ability to grow and feed themselves, to send their children to school, to access basic health care,’ lamented OCHA’s head for West and Central Africa, Charles Bernimolin.

The increasingly frequent threats confirm the need for ‘significant and strategic investments to ensure that communities are prepared and that the worst consequences are mitigated as soon as possible,’ the expert said.

So far Chad was the worst affected country, with 246,883 people affected by floods in just a few weeks, the report said.

These episodes, which often damage the same communities year after year, severely deteriorate livelihoods and basic social services, compromising the ability of communities to support themselves and forcing them to rely on aid to survive in dignity, Ocha said.

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