In July 2018, five counties ( Montserrado, Margibi, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount and Nimba of Liberia were hit by foaming and rising floods triggered by heavy downpour of rains, according to the UN World Food Programme in Liberia (WFP).
The heavy rains came in the week of 8 to 14 July, and resulted in rivers and drainages overflowing their banks leading to massive flooding. Several communities most of which are situated in densely populated and low-lying urban and semi-urban localities received
the blunt of the waters. The Government of Liberia through the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) said flooding was mainly caused by: I. Excessive rainfall II. Construction in low land plains and lowlands III. Localities were situated too close to river banks IV.
Rivers overflowing out of their banks V. No or poor drainage systems VI. Lack of proper awareness about the causes of flooding due to weak implementation of zonal laws.
Impact
Initial assessment conducted by the NDMA and partners including WFP in three counties (Montserrado, Margibi and Grand Bassa) indicated that approximate 8,600 households (HH) representing some 51,600 persons were affected in several communities.
One death was reported and about 1,900 structures partially or entirely damaged. Based on rainfall patterns in Liberia, it is predicted that heavy rainfalls are likely between July and mid-October which is normally the end of the rainy season.
Number of Affected Persons
The NDMA said that over 51,000 residents were affected by the floods. Approximately 40,000 of them needed emergency assistance. A summary of affected people is below: 51,000 people affected 40,000 people in need of assistance 37,000 Targeted by WFP 19,103 Reached as at 30 September T arget: 37,000 persons ( 29,000 for CBT & 8000 for direct food distribution) in vulnerable communities of the counties affected by the flooding.
Modality of food assistance
Food assistance is provided by WFP through cash based transfer (CBT) and direct food distribution.
Other Activities
Verification and Nutrition sensitization activities are conducted by WFP in affected communities to ensure that beneficiaries understand the purpose for which the cash or food is provided to them.
In order to ensure accountability to affected populations, WFP also introduced the beneficiaries feedback mechanism (BFM) using a toll-free line where beneficiaries can call in free-of-charge to register complaints or provide information about WFP activities.