A state of emergency declared as flooding in South Sudan ensues

While floods are a seasonal and acute problem in South Sudan, this year’s flooding is extreme and the rainy season is forecasted to continue into November. Currently 800,000 – 900,000 people are estimated to have been impacted by the floods

MSF is present in several flood-affected areas and we are concerned about the severe consequences of flooding for communities we are there to support and those we cannot reach.

The immediate needs for people are for adequate shelter, water, food and healthcare. Living conditions where people have set up make-shift shelters are deteriorating. The space is increasingly congested, thick with mud, has no latrines and just one functioning borehole. Some people are left with no alternative but to drink from the same open and contaminated water sources as they are washing in.

With poor water and sanitation, we are starting to see patients with skin diseases. With limited food supplies, we have admitted severely malnourished children in the temporary primary healthcare facility. With no cold chain to continue with vaccination, we not only fear for outbreaks of deadly water-borne diseases like cholera, but also measles, where an on-going outbreak was on the decline but may increase due to congested and unsanitary living conditions.