A rain storm moved into Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on Tuesday morning, 1st September, 2009. Like surrounding areas, it would have moved through leaving 50-60mm of rain. Instead, it met with another system that blocked its path and caused it to remain over Ouagadougou for hours, causing 263mm of rain to fall on the city. Almost 100mm fell between 7 and 8am.
Up date December 2010
This project is established to help people who lost their houses in the flood of September 1, 2009 in Ouagadougou. Intervention is now being focused on the resettlement community of Yagma particularly helping the most vulnerable - widow, handicapped and children. The involvement of SIM in flood relief activities over the last 13 months has relieved much suffering and produced much good will for the Church. The churches in Paspanga and Somgande have been particularly cited for the help they have extended to their communities. SIM's ministry in the relief centres has been well received and greatly appreciated.
The physical, social and spiritual needs of the growing of some communitites remain overwhelming. SIM hopes to continue to carry on its current activities which include building houses for widows and handicapped individuals, providing micro-credit for widows in order to reestablish their financial self reliance and self-respect, strengthening the water delivery system throughout the community and providing a hot lunch for the 650 children of the newly constructed primary school.
In addition to continuing present activities, plans for further involvement with children and the planting of a church in partnership with the local EE- SIM churches. Burkina Faso has not seen this much rain fall at one time—ever. The last record for the city of Ouagadougou was in 1953 when approximately 120mm was recorded falling. The last record for the country was in 1919 when 249mm fell in the city of Bobo Dioulasso.
The day after the flood
The city is much calmer this morning and the flood waters have mostly receded. The government estimates that there are about 150,000 people whose homes are no longer habitable—either completely or partially destroyed. About 110,000 of these people have taken shelter in schools and are receiving some emergency aid through government channels. They report only five deaths but many are still unaccounted for. If this flood had happened during night-time hours, it would certainly have resulted in a much greater catastrophe and loss of life.
| | |
| | |
 | | |
SIM Burkina Faso Director, Alan Dixon and his wife, went to help out the family of a church member. They were able to wade through water to a nearby office building under construction where they went up to the fifth floor to survey the damage. A widespread area was flooded and the EE-SIM (Eglises Evangélique) church, several blocks away, was under about eight feet of water. It is located just one block from the floodway, downstream from one of Ouagadougou’s dams, which itself was under two feet of water. This is one of the areas where many houses fell.
Electricity was cut for several hours as the main diesel generating station located in the sector of Paspanga was also flooded. Our power was restored at 8pm the same day and for many others, the next day, but some are still without power. The water treatment plant at Paspanga was also flooded and shut down. This has resulted in no water in some areas of the city and very low pressure in others. The official word from ONEA (the government water service) is that they are having difficulties, but do have adequate reserves.
The main hospital, Yalgado, is not far from the same dam. Its back wall came down and several of the buildings of the hospital compound were flooded. Many patients were evacuated to other hospitals in town. Clean-up is underway but damage, particularly to equipment, is extensive.
