Floods displace thousands in Togo

All Africa, via UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: Weeks of rains in Togo have forced thousands of people from their homes into temporary government-run centres set up throughout the capital, Lome…

Togo's head of Red Cross Disaster Relief, Victor Sodogas, estimates more than 6,000 people, including approximately 1,000 children, have sought shelter in six government centres that do not have designated sleeping quarters. "They just sleep in the processing areas. There are no mosquito nets yet in the centres, which may become more of an issue as the rainy season continues to push people into these shelters."

Climatologist Michel Boko from the University of Cotonou in Benin says weather trends point to more flooding during this year's rainy season, which typically is from May to September. "Even though the rainy season has shortened in recent years, the annual rainfall amount has not changed, which means we are seeing more intense rains. Coupled with land degradation throughout sub-Saharan Africa, this makes for ideal flooding conditions."…

Location of Togo in Africa, map by Vardion, Wikimedia Commons, under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation license, Version 1.2