Sierra Leone - Emergency Humanitarian Relief assistance to Floods Victims

On 16th September 2015, Sierra Leone was struck by unusually heavy rains of about 145 mm. The worst hit areas were Freetown in the Western Area and Bo, Pujehun and Bonthe in the Southern Province. Many houses and properties were destroyed as a result of flooding caused by the heavy rains and many families from mainly slum areas along the coast of Freetown and in riverine communities in Bo, Pujehun and Bonthe were displaced. Since the flooding started, the government, United Nations (UN) agencies, Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and private businesses have been providing assistance to approximately 24,000 people that have been registered in Freetown and the validation of registration is ongoing. In the case of Bo (3,500 persons) Bonthe (500 persons) and Pujehun (1,951 persons) the affected persons were relocated to nearby communities. Due to the destructive impact of the floods on the communities, the GoSL also declared a Military Assistance to Civilian Communities (MACC) and a Level 2 emergency in Freetown.