Flood-affected people in Fangak County, Jonglei State. |courtesy|.
Devastating floods destroyed hundreds of houses, and farmlands and displaced over 6,500 people in Fangak County of Jonglei State.
Speaking to Golden Times correspondent, the Commissioner of Fangak County, Biel Boutros Biel said he inspected the plight of the flood-affected people in the villages badly affected by the floods in the county.
Commissioner Boutros said the people are in dire need of urgent humanitarian intervention as the water levels continue rising.
He called on the government and nongovernmental relief agencies to provide clean drinking water, food, and shelter to vulnerable people in the county.
Flood-affected family in Shorbor village, Fangak County, Jonglei State
“Now, I am with the people who have been displaced; everything has been destroyed. The people are lacking clean drinking water, food, shelter, and other necessities. So, I am with them. Life is very difficult now. We are now mobilizing speed boats to repatriate people to New Fangak. Most of the areas in Fangak County have been submerged by water,” Boutros said.
The commissioner disclosed that women and children are camping on the dykes constructed to prevent flood waters from flashing to the settlement areas.
Boutros reassured the commitment of his administration to solicit funds to support the flood-affected people in the county.
“The flood situation is so horrific,” Boutros said. “This needs urgent humanitarian intervention to protect people from waterborne diseases. We appeal to the World Food Programme (WFP) to deliver food and non-food items to the needy in the area. We also appeal to the sons and daughters of Fangak in the diasporas to put their hands together to support the people affected by the floods.”
Biel Boutros assessing the conditions of flood-affected people.
South Sudan is already bracing to mitigate the looming human and climate disaster in the coming months.
The regional Early Warning System has already rung an alert that South Sudan is expected to suffer its worst floods in 60 years which will drive parts of the country to the brink of famine, according to Save the Children.
Earlier, the government of South Sudan announced $75 million to support the humanitarian intervention in the flood-prone areas.
Albino Akol Atak, the minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management disclosed to the media that, the government is yet to honor its pledge to disperse the funds to alleviate the suffering of the flood-affected people in the areas already suffering from devasting floods in the country.
Last month, the United States announced more than $57 million in additional humanitarian assistance to address the urgent needs of hundreds of thousands of crisis-affected people in South Sudan.
U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan Michael J. Adler announced this funding in Juba, which includes nearly $55 million through USAID and $2.4 million through the U.S. Department of State.
Ambassador Adler echoed that the United States has stood with the people of South Sudan for decades, and will continue to surge support during this critical time of increasing humanitarian needs.
This additional funding brings the total U.S. government humanitarian assistance in South Sudan to nearly $351 million to date in fiscal year 2024.
The U.S. government, which is the main donor for humanitarian intervention in South Sudan, has provided nearly $7.3 billion since South Sudan gained independence in 2011, which itself followed decades of life-saving humanitarian aid predating the country’s independence.
