EarthBeat Weekly: Homelessness and the tragic consequences of torrential flooding
EarthBeat Weekly: Homelessness and the tragic consequences of torrential flooding
Homelessness and the tragic consequences of torrential flooding
September 27, 2024 Flora Membe sits outside her tent with her grandson in Khumwanda displacement camp, July 16 in Busia, Kenya, after floods swamped her house. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo) Inside a camp for internally displaced persons in a remote part of western Kenya, personal testimonies of the impacts of climate change came rushing forward. For many of the people who spoke with Doreen Ajiambo, Africa/Middle East correspondent for Global Sisters Report, that impact was severe flooding that has overwhelmed rivers channeling water into Africa's largest lake, Lake Victoria. "We had nowhere to go as the level of water kept on rising every moment, and we had to make a decision to come and start living in the bush, which later turned into a camp," said Flora Membe, a 54-year-old mother of four who lost her home to flooded rivers five years ago. Life in the camps is difficult, reports Ajiambo, as those left homeless due to severe effects of climate change like flooding and drought face emotional and physical challenges, like looking for food and shelter and unstable health care. Exposed without shelter, women in particular experience additional adversities, including violence and unwanted pregnancies, putting them at risk of contracting HIV and other infections. The plight of the people in Khumwanda camp in Budalangi, Kenya, are just a few of the hundreds of thousands of people in the East African nation who have become homeless in recent years as a result of the impacts of climate change. Climate activists and religious leaders estimate that more than 2 million Kenyans are currently homeless, primarily as a result of extreme weather events like heavy rain, floods, drought and landslides. Every year, more than 30 million people in Africa are forced to leave their homes because of extreme weather events, a figure that has nearly tripled in the past four decades and could grow to 86 million Africans migrating within their own countries by 2050. "Climate change presents a significant challenge, with homelessness being just one of its many consequences," Sr. Celestine Nelima, of the Sisters of Mary of Kakamega, told Ajiambo. "Being situated in a low-lying area, the impact on our community is substantial." Read more: 'Refugees in their own land': Kenyans experience homelessness due to severe floods The flooding and heavy rains around Lake Victoria has impacts elsewhere in Africa. Floodwaters have made its ways to farms in South Sudan, destroying crops, killing livestock and leaving homes in ruins. Upwards of 750,000 South Sudanese are threatened by the floods and at risk of starvation among a population of more than 12.7 million people, of whom about 61% identify as Christian, reports Tonny Onyulo for Religion News Service. The Catholic Church in the region has partnered with other local churches and NGOs to facilitate food and essential supplies, while also collaborating to build dikes, dams and other sustainable water management infrastructure. "Our goal is to minimize the devastation caused by floods on both crops and households in order to prevent future suffering due to climate change," said Bishop Christian Carlassare of the Catholic Diocese of Bentiu. Read more: Aiding flood victims in South Sudan, faith leaders work on long-term solutions Flooding has devastated many parts of the world this year, including in eastern Europe. After the Oder River in western Poland, one of two biggest rivers in the country, flooded earlier this month, volunteers and help — including loads of supplies and money from Catholic charities — poured into the region to ease the pain of the people who lost everything. An estimated 20,000 buildings may have been damaged, based on satellite data. Residents told Agnieszka Bugala of OSV News that "It wasn't a flood, it was a tsunami," as torrential water burst the dam in Stronie Slaskie on the weekend of Sept. 14-15. The Sunday collection in Polish churches Sept. 22 was entirely dedicated to Caritas Poland for the flood relief. Read more: Amid dramatic scenes of floods sweeping through entire villages, Polish Catholics rush to help
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