Siera Leone News: Thousands Homeless after Flash Floods Hit Communities

By George M.O. Williams

Thousands of people have been made homeless in communities along the Freetown peninsula after homes were inundated due to heavy rains which lasted for about five hours, the Western Area Rural District Council Chairman, Kasho Holland-Cole said on Wednesday.

According to the Chairman, many of the displaced persons had taken shelter in a community schools with the majority preferred to move in with relatives in safer areas.

Kerry Town, famous for hosting an Ebola treatment Centre during the outbreak, has taken a huge knock with many houses inundated by the force of water coming down the Peninsula Mountain, and part of the Craig Bellamy Foundation fence was brought down, Holland-Cole said.

He further explained that Houses that was built in a water run way at Kerry town deterring the normal passage of rain water resulted to the influx of rain water into homes in Kerry town, noting that In Shebra Town slum area was also immensely affected and crops were left ramshackle.

He said the fishing village of Tombo, entailed the highest population in the Peninsula bears the greatest brunt of the flooding. They high intensity of non-stop rain which resulted to the collapsed of a bridge linking Tombo town and other communities.

According to the chairman, as a result of the quick response from the District Council, Sierra Leone Red Cross Society and Office of National Security (ONS) there has been no case of death.

District Council and ONS admonished person residing in disaster prone area to vacate to a safer place.

Affected people are desperately in need of basic amenities.