PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 15 August 2017
Following the disastrous event of the landslide, and floods in Freetown on Monday
14th August 2017 wherein over 300 people have died, while many are still unaccountable for. Over 2000 (Two thousand) rendered homeless, and the lives, properties of thousands have been disrupted. The Network Movement for Democracy and Human Rights (NMDHR) would like to express our deepest condolences to the bereaved families and may the souls of the faithfully departed rest in peace.
The past few years have been appalling for our country, the poor and most vulnerable, especially those living in the flood affected areas in Freetown. Over 1 million inhabitants are presently settled in overcrowded areas of the coastal city of Freetown. Loss of life and economic devastation are a major development challenges for a country like Sierra Leone battling climate change.
However, it is evident that community volunteers and emergency workers are still finding it difficult to reach survivors and to remove dead bodies under mud. Communities still remain marooned, living out in the open as their homes have been destroyed, with roads submerged under water or blocked by the mudslide.
Climate change, climate variability and weather events are a threat to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals’ overall target of eliminating poverty and tackling other risk drivers such as unplanned urban development, environmental degradation and gaps in early warnings. Such disastrous events require a system which ensures that people are informed about building in risk areas, and the strengthening of institutions which manage disaster risk. Outbreaks of diseases such as dengue fever and cholera, and illnesses like diarrhea and dysentery, are often a threat in the aftermath of floods due to water-logging.
In view of the above, NMDHR is advocating that the Government of Sierra Leone should take the necessary proactive steps to address natural disasters faster, and make adequate plans for future occurrences. Our hearts go out to the people of Sierra Leone in this time of sorrow.
– Abdul Karim Habib, Executive Director, NMDHR