In response to the severe flooding in Sierra Leone, significantly impacting communities, farmland, businesses and infrastructure, the European Union (EU) has released 200,000 euros in humanitarian funding to meet the most urgent needs.

This EU funding will help the Sierra Leone Red Cross to provide emergency assistance to 1,800 flood-affected households (12,600 people) in the four worst-affected districts, mostly through multipurpose cash transfers to cope with their emergency needs (lost items, food, water and sanitation, non-food items…), health promotion, first-aid and psychosocial support, as well as disaster mitigating interventions.

The heavy rains severely impacted the livelihoods of 23,596 people in 27 communities. A total of 167 buildings, including 27 critical infrastructures such as schools, hospitals and places of worship collapsed, further disrupting essential services. In addition, 7,324 hectares of farmland were submerged, resulting in major crop losses that threaten the food security and long-term economic recovery of over 1,500 farmers.

The funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The recent floods in Sierra Leone have caused massive devastation in many districts that did not experience floods in recent years, affecting both rural and urban areas. Heavy rainfall from Guinea, particularly from rivers originating in the Futa Jallon highlands, has triggered this situation, exacerbating the country’s flooding crisis.