Floods in Côte d’Ivoire have claimed the lives of 59 people since May, according to the country’s communication minister, Amadou Coulibaly. The minister expressed concerns that the death toll could rise as rescue teams continue to search for victims during the rainy season, which runs from May to July. The floods are the latest in a series of devastating weather events to hit coastal west Africa, where relentless rains have been predicted to intensify in the coming days. Footage has emerged on social media showing neighborhoods submerged in water, with residents wading through the streets in search of drier areas. The World Meteorological Organisation has warned that Africa is especially vulnerable to extreme weather events, despite contributing minimally to greenhouse gas emissions.
In neighboring Ghana, at least 13 people have died, while over 400 others were rescued on Tuesday, according to the Ghana fire service. President John Mahama reported that the downpour had reached approximately 140mm of rain, significantly higher than the highest single-day rainfall recorded last year. The impact of poor waste management and urban population growth on existing infrastructure has been acknowledged as a contributing factor to the floods.
After an aerial tour of affected areas, President Mahama explained that Accra’s location between the Akwapim mountain range and the Atlantic Ocean has become a problem due to the city’s rapid growth. He noted that human behavior, such as dumping garbage in drains, has also exacerbated the issue. In Accra and the nearby city of Tema, rains have submerged buildings and roads, cutting off access, and fires have started in some areas after electrical installations were flooded.
Floods have also hit parts of Benin, Togo, and Nigeria, although no casualties have been confirmed. In Lagos, Nigeria, flooding has disrupted electricity supply to several neighborhoods after operations were halted at a transmission substation. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency has predicted above-normal rainfall in Abuja and nine states this year, including some areas that experienced severe flooding last year. Between December and February, southern and northern Africa were similarly affected by deadly floods.
