 Download
Cat Report
(65kb pdf)
Cover Page
Heat wave - United States, Canada
Typhoon Saomai - Mariana Islands, Philippines,
Japan, Taiwan, China
Flood - Ethiopia
Severe storms, Tornadoes and torrential
rains - United States
Typhoon Xangsane - Philippines, Vietnam,
Thailand
Snowstorm - United States
Wildfire - United States
Other events
|
Catastrophe Report 10
July 25th - November 8th 2006 |
Flood - Ethiopia
| Territory: |
|
Ethiopia |
| Region: |
|
Countrywide. |
| Date: |
|
5 – 31 August 2006 |
| Event: |
|
Floods |
| Impact: |
|
The August 2006 floods were the worst in Ethiopia’s
history, affecting 363,000 people and making close to 200,000
homeless. The final death toll is estimated at in excess of
647. Dire Dawa city was particularly badly affected as a result
of the river Dechatu bursting its banks on the night of August
6th, sending torrents of water through the streets. More than
200 buildings were destroyed and over 250 people killed instantly,
including 40 young children. The South Omo region, in the south
of the country, was also badly hit. Life lines were affected
across the country, with telephone and power lines cut and the
main roads to Addis Ababa impassable. The floods have had a
severe impact on agriculture, leading to widespread food shortages
in one of the world’s poorest states. Six million people
are estimated to require food assistance, half of these until
at least the end of the year. Total economic losses arising
from the disaster remain to be determined. |
| Summary: |
|
Unprecedented rains started on August 5th in
the south and east of the country, causing severe floods that
affected the country’s second city, Dire Dawa, 525 km
east of the capital, Addis Ababa. Continued torrential rains
continued in the highlands, resulting in saturation of the ground,
all major rivers swelling to dangerous levels, the country’s
five dams reaching maximum capacity, and some rivers feeding
the lowlands breaking their banks and spreading the floods to
all five regions of the country in ensuing weeks. Flooding regularly
strikes low-lying areas of the country between June and September,
but they have been particularly bad recently. Over the past
two years, floods in the south and east of the country have
killed hundreds and displaced hundreds of thousands. |
| Data sources: |
|
International Research Institute for Climate
and Society
http://iri.columbia.edu/climate/cid/Sep2006/impacts.html#GHAflood
ReliefWEb
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/doc106?openForm&rc=1&emid=FL-2006-000112-ETH&po=0&so=63
|
| Additional sources:
|
|
Dartmouth Flood Observatory
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~floods/
|
| Image: |
|
Good image at:
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Image:Ethiopia_flooding.JPG
The river Dechatu, close to Ethiopia’s second city
of Dire Dawa, approaches bursting point in early August 2006.
|
|
|
