Toronto’s Sierra Leonean expats mobilize flood relief fund,

David Sinnah woke up to a phone inundated with messages Monday morning.

During the night, mudslides triggered by heavy rainfall killed more than 300 in Freetown, capital city of his native country of Sierra Leone.

“It’s very awful, very sad,” said Sinnah, president of the Sierra Leonean Canadian Union of Ontario (Umbrella). “I heard from friends and other family members; most of them were affected because I know some of them live around that area.”

While his immediate family members are OK, one friend who was out of town at the time lost everyone: a wife and four kids.

The Sierra Leonean community in Toronto has already mobilized, creating a website where people can donate to a Sierra Leone Flood Relief fund. There will also be a fundraiser picnic this Saturday. Money will go to the Red Cross and government support teams working on the ground.

The Red Cross estimates at least 600 people are currently missing and rescue workers are still digging out bodies. Many people live in slums close to the sea, with poor drainage systems. Unregulated houses built on hilltops, as well as deforestation for fire wood and charcoal, contribute to the risk of mudslides.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Abdul Nasir, program coco-ordinator for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. “A river of mud came out of nowhere and swallowed entire communities, just wiped them away.”

On Thursday, as officials struggled to keep up with burials, more people were evacuated due to the risk of another mudslide.

Sinnah said most people have now left the affected area, but the situation is still “very urgent” as many people have been left homeless.

“They need food, water,” he said.