A. Situation analysis
Description of the disaster
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), extensive rainfall since mid-November 2015 has led to flooding across the country. On 6 December 2015, the acceleration of rains led to the overflow of the N'djili River causing flooding in the Debonhome, Kingabua Ndanu, Kingabua Pécheur and Salongo neighbourhoods of the capital Kinshasa, affecting 10,560 people (2,112 families); resulting in 31 deaths, and numerous injuries. An estimated 1,696 families (8,480) families have been displaced, after they lost their homes and property following the floods, and are now living in crowded conditions with host families (refer to “Table 1: Distribution of displaced population” for breakdown). The Processing Centre of the Water Distribution Authority serving Kinshasa along the river N'djili was damaged, which has reduced the available safe water supply, while sanitation structures have been blocked meaning that flood waters have not receded (buildings remain submerged), increasing the risk of epidemics. According to the DRC WEATHER Meteorologists, the rains will continue to fall until the end of December 2015, and the situation is therefore expected to worsen. Floods have also been observed in the provinces of Central Kongo, Bas Congo and Équateur; however information in these areas has not been verified.