Suffering floods, Somalia needs humanitarian assistance

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Source: CCTV.com | 11-30-2006 09:30

Somalia is suffering from torrential rains that have led to the most severe flooding seen in decades. Relief coordinators say hundreds of thousands of people in the eastern African country are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

The Southern part of Somalia is the worst affected area.

Severe floods there have destroyed crops and farmland, as well as disrupted food supplies.

Entire villages are cut off from the outside world.

In some areas, people are sitting on dykes, surrounded by water.

They're lacking food, shelter and drinkable water.

This woman, a mother of eight, says the problems they're facing are endless.

Aba Nur, flood victim said, "We don't have clean water, our children are suffering from malaria because of mosquitos and other are diarrhea. We're feeding on a little food we saved and anything from the trees like mangos."

International relief organizations are closely monitoring the situation and offering assistance.

Mathias Prese, INT'l committee of the red cross said, "So far in the area, we have assisted approximately three thousand families with shelter.

Our total population that we're assisting is approximately 59-thousand families. "

The Red Cross has already started airlifting tarpaulins to 350-thousand people in some of the worst affected areas.

With many roads impassable, delivering assistance by air and then boat is often the only option.

Editor:Du Xiaodan