HIGHLIGHTS
• Heavy rains and flash floods in Sennar State have destroyed 1,160 houses and damaged another 1,320 homes, according to SRCS.
• On 17 June, the Government of Sudan announced a 4-month ceasefire in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
• An estimated 1,800 newly displaced people in West Kordofan State need humanitarian assistance, according to HAC.
• In 2016, about 72,000 South Sudanese have arrived in White Nile, East Darfur, South Darfur, South and West Kordofan states.
Floods destroy and damage houses in Sennar State
Heavy rains and flash floods in Singa, the capital of Sennar State have destroyed 1,160 houses and damaged another 1,320 homes, according to the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS). One public building and 36 latrines were destroyed, while another public building and 50 latrines were damaged, according to the findings of a needs assessment in Singa carried out by SRCS, the government’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) and the General Directorate of Civil Defense on 17 June.
As part of an initial response, Civil Defense and SRCS have unblocked drainage networks, relocated affected people and distributed sandbags to protect from flooding. HAC in Sennar reported that 3,000 mats, 10,000 mosquito nets, 5,000 pieces of plastic sheeting, 3,000 tents, 10,000 blankets, 3,000 kitchen sets, food, sanitary items and medicine were urgently needed to respond to the needs of the affected people. SRCS estimates that about 14,900 people (2,500 families) have been affected so far.
In El Gezira State, heavy rains and strong winds have destroyed several buildings in the state’s capital, Madani, according to local media reports. There have also been reports of rains and flash flooding in parts of Blue Nile, White Nile and Gedaref states, and the Kordofan and Darfur regions. Over the past few years, heavy rain and floods have destroyed or damaged private houses and public buildings such as schools and hospitals, affecting thousands of people. During the rainy season, there is an increase in water borne diseases, especially diarrhoea. The rainy season usually starts in Sudan in June and ends in September-October.
Rainfall and median temperature outlook for June-September 2016
According to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) update issued on 31 May, the regional consensus climate outlook for the June to September 2016 rainfall season indicates an increased likelihood of above normal rainfall over most of the northern parts of the Greater Horn of Africa (including Sudan). The IGAD report said there is an increased likelihood of flood risk during the rainfall peak months of August and September across Ethiopia, South Sudan and Sudan. IGAD in Eastern Africa was created in 1996 to assist and complement the efforts of the Member States to achieve food security and environmental protection, promotion and maintenance of peace and security and humanitarian affairs, and economic cooperation and integration.