Fresh aid for Sierra Leone

UK support as toll passes 400

THE death toll from devastating floods in Sierra Leone has passed 400 with 600 people still missing in the stricken capital, the Red Cross said yesterday, as Britain promised £5-million (about R85million) in fresh aid.

The disaster began on Monday when heavy rains hit the city and the partial collapse of a hillside triggered mudslides, engulfing homes and wreaking destruction.

“Today we are counting more than 400 people dead,” International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies secretary-general Elhadj As Sy said in Geneva.

Citizens and experts alike have questioned why the government has not done more to tackle illegal construction and deforestation on the outskirts of the overcrowded capital of Freetown.

More than 300 victims were buried on Thursday in a ceremony in the nearby town of Waterloo, laid to rest alongside victims of the country’s last crisis – the Ebola virus. About a third of them were children.

Sy said the government of the west African country was facing a crisis “way beyond [its] capacity” and appealed to the international community to significantly ramp up its support.

The displaced were still sleeping outside “because there are not enough shelters for everybody,” he said.

Britain’s aid will be directed through several charities working on the ground, targeting children’s bedding and clothing and clean water and sanitation for all victims, as well as medical supplies.

“Our support will provide basic life-saving supplies to people who have lost everything. The international community must follow our lead and step up to the plate,” said Britain’s international development secretary Priti Patel.

The Red Cross said it would launch an emergency funding appeal later, while China has pledged $1-million (R13.2-million), Togo $500 000 (R6.6-million), and Israel and several west African nations have contributed food and cash.

The Red Cross has warned that smaller mudslides have occurred since Monday in eastern Freetown and in Sierra Leone’s second city of Bo.

So far evacuations have been voluntary, which Sy said was “best practice”.

“Coming by force in the middle of hardship may not be the best way,” he added. — AFP