Flash floods, triggered by torrential rains, have displaced more than 600 families in Hudur district, Bakol region.
The town has witnessed continued heavy downpours since last week, according to locals who spoke to Radio Ergo.
The affected families, mostly from low-lying villages of the district, were directed by the local administration to camp out at a former secondary school on higher ground.
“I didn’t expect it would rain that heavily. My rooms were flooded and all our belongings were swept away in the raging waters. I was lucky to have escaped safely with my children,” Hawa Mohamed Nur, 52, a mother of nine children, told Radio Ergo’s local reporter.
The victims appealed to the local administration and relief agencies to assist them, fearing for the health of children and the elderly who are at risk of water borne diseases.
Adan Mohamud, one of the locals, said the heavy rain also damaged roads linking the area to other towns, adding that schools were closed with many children forced to remain at home.
Hussein Hassan, the chairman of the worst hit village of Sheikh Aways, said the rain exacerbated tough conditions facing the district, which was already isolated due to conflict in the region.
He said the affected families urgently needed humanitarian assistance.
