Sierra Leone - Last week’s  (16/09) torrential rains (147mm over 6 hours) in Sierra Leone caused heavy flooding and extensive damage to roughly 1,400 homes in the capital city of Freetown as well as low lying areas in the provinces of Bo and Pujehun. Nine deaths have been reported with more predicted. Roads, drainage and power infrastructure also suffered significant damage and more heavy rain is expected in the coming days.

As of 20 September 2015, over 13,000 persons had been registered by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children's Affairs and are seeking assistance at two officially sanctioned displacement sites - the Siaka Stevens National Stadium and Atuga Stadium respectively covering the western and eastern sections of the city. Several thousands are sleeping overnight at both sites and WFP and private donors have been supplying food while IMC, CDC and UNFPA are providing clinical care.

It is suspected that a large number of unaffected persons are also included in those attending the stadiums. However, it has been noted that many affected persons are staying in flood-hit areas to protect their homes and personal belongings.

On 17-18 September, IOM participated in several high level government and Office of National Security meetings before conducting assessments at both displacement sites and several community areas.

“After the lengthy and continuing battle with Ebola, these floods came as a big shock to the people of Freetown. IOM in partnership with our colleagues at the UN and the government are working quickly to ensure affected persons have the supplies they need to feed and care for their families and practice effective infection prevention and control,” IOM Emergency Coordinator Jonathan Baker said.

As a result, IOM is providing support to IDPs in the form of 200 mattresses, 200 blankets, IPC materials (soap, hand sanitizer, non-contact thermometers, buckets and personal protective equipment and boots for latrine cleaners) and 50 tarpaulins at the two main IDP stadium sites in Freetown. IOM will also provide 150 tarpaulins to Save the Children for distribution to affected communities in the eastern district of Pujehun on the Liberian border, which is reporting several hundred persons displaced by flood waters.

30 IOM staff have been redeployed to the 2 IDP sites led by an international project officer based at Atuga Stadium and a national officer based at Siaka Stevens National Stadium. At the National Stadium 16 IOM staff are providing 24-hour health screening after a request from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. At Atuga, eight infection prevention and control specialists are providing health screening and have set up 10 hand washing stations which are being monitored and restocked with liquid soap and water. Six social mobilizers are conducting messaging on Ebola, IPC, hand hygiene and general health promotion and supporting IDP registration.

The United States Agency for International Development’s Office for US Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) has generously agreed to repurpose funding from an existing Ebola project (Emergency Interim Care Kits) for flood response activities. 

This week IOM’s team of 32 community-based social mobilizers will be trained on cholera and infectious disease prevention amidst heightened reports of watery diarrhea in the flood affected areas and the increased possibility of an outbreak of waterborne diseases.

Discussions are ongoing with government partners in terms of potential relocation sites for the displaced. The government has indicated a green field site near the former Hastings airfield just outside of Freetown where up to 10,000 individuals and families may be relocated from low-lying flood prone coastal communities. Initially, prefabricated housing will be made available for up to 5,000 persons with food provided by WFP for the first several months until alternative strategies are developed. IOM is a key stakeholder on the planning committee of the relocation.

IOM has also been requested by the Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children's Affairs to provide registration cards for the head of each affected household in order to effectively ensure food stuffs and other material support is going to those most in need. In this regard, IOM will initiate meetings with the Minister to roll out ID cards immediately.

Meanwhile, in the past week, five new Ebola cases were reported by WHO although progress has continued as hundreds of people were removed from quarantine in northern Kambia district. A new case of a 16 year old girl in Bombali remains under investigation and more cases are expected.

For further information, please contact IOM Sierra Leone’s Sanusi Savage, Tel: (+232) 076 601 221, Email: ssavage@iom.int or Jonathan Baker, Tel: (+232) 076 100 874, Email: jbaker@iom.int