Angola hit by heavy rain and flash flooding by Sean Batty
The African country of Angola has been hit by flash flooding and heavy rain since Monday which has led to the death of 71 people. So far around 60 of the deaths were in the coastal city of Luanda, where there are also nearly 1,500 people homeless, due to the flooding.
The flooding has brought down power and telephone lines, whilst cutting off many roads.
Leaving some areas completely remote and without help from the outside.
The Luandan authorities have donated $10million to get the homeless into tents and shelters and are working to try and clear water from the roads so they can get help to the areas which need it most. The government realises how important it is to get rid of the flood waters, which could harbour cholera. They are trying to restore clean sanitation to the city as 2,000 people have already died of the water-borne diseases since February last year.
The authorities are trying all they can to avoid a repeat performance of March 2005, when flooding in northern Angola left over 10,000 people homeless.
Other countries in southern Africa have been hit by heavy downpours, including Zambia and Malawi – where at least 20 villages are under water.
The national weather office have warned that the torrential rains are set to continue until June, traditionally the end of the monsoon in the southern African countries affected.
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