IRIN, May 9, 2010

In Brief: Floods cause havoc in Afghanistan

Natural disasters - mostly floods, droughts, earthquakes and avalanches - affect over 400,000 people in the country every year, according to OCHA.

Scene from previous a flood

Flash floods have killed over 80 people, wounded 240 and damaged more than 5,000 houses in 12 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces over the past 18 days, the Afghanistan National Disasters Management Authority said.

The floods have also killed livestock and ruined fields of crops.

Rapid assessment teams comprising staff from UN agencies, NGOs and government bodies are in the process of identifying needs in the affected provinces, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a situation report on 6 May.

Officials in the most affected provinces of Jozjan, Bamiyan and Baghlan said shelter, food and drinking water were among the top needs.

Natural disasters - mostly floods, droughts, earthquakes and avalanches - affect over 400,000 people in the country every year, according to OCHA.

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