Almost a million people suffered. “Water levels continue to rise”

Flooding occurred in more than half of the 78 districts. Buildings, roads and key infrastructure were flooded. Fifteen main supply routes have become impassable since heavy rainfall began, hampering the delivery of vital aid to around half a million people in various parts of the country, the UN said.

According to data as of the first week of October, 890,000 people felt the effects of the disaster. More than a quarter of them, mainly in the north of the country, were forced to leave their homes due to rising water levels. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes.

– Water levels continue to rise and displacements continue, Joseph Nyano from the government's humanitarian aid agency told BBC Pibor. He added that the authorities are appealing to residents of flood-prone areas to “immediately move to higher ground for their safety.”

Although the rainy season in August and September is normal in Central and West Africa, it is this year's rainfall is unusually heavy and has caused the worst flooding in at least 30 years in many countries. Back in mid-September, forecasters predicted that they would end at the beginning of October, but new forecasts predict continuous rainfall until November.

The countries most affected by floods also include neighboring Sudan, which is plunged into civil war, as well as Czas, Niger, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea.

The downpours broke dams, flooded desert cities and exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in one of the world's poorest regions, Reuters notes.

Floods are the most common and costly natural disaster on the African continent. According to the World Meteorological Organization, economic losses from natural disasters increased by 52 percent between 2010 and 2019 compared to the previous three decades.