Devastating floods in Agadez, Niger

[famous_walker]

Adobe houses and entire streets washed off the surface. "The waters that had been building in the mountains let loose sweeping away over 4,000 homes and leaving 7,000 families in the streets with nothing but the clothing on their backs."

Photos.html - facts and photos directly from Agadez, first hand. Donations collected on the site too.

Also this blog site: Nomad Foundation from the field in Niger

I understand there are no foreign aid agencies left in the north of Niger due to the rebellion, and no foreign press as such. So far nothing reported on the tragedy on any major news sites.

A quote from a friend of mine who has a house in Agadez: "The worst damage was caused by the failure of a dam about seven kilometers from the city. It broke without warning at about 1 am on Wednesday morning sending a wall of water down the dry river beds. Since there have been so many years of drought very poor people and recent arrivals in the city erected their tents and built mud brick houses in the riverbeds, not knowing the history of the area. People were killed by the collapsed walls of their houses and some were swept away by the flash flood."

[famous_walker]

A today's report by a local from Agadez (translation): "the camel market is completely gone as is the "slave village," the tents and small mud brick shelters <in the western area of the city>."

Peter

[priffe]

My friends in Djanet reported they were overjoyed by the abundant rainfall, as are people everywhere in the desert when it rains. Was it only around Agadez that they have had flooding?
When there is trouble from poverty, unrest etc people tend to neglect their mud brick houses and when the rain comes some will collapse.

[priffe]

Nomad Foundation from the field in Niger

"The drive south of Agadez has never in anyone's memory, been so green. The heavy rains that brought tragedy to Agadez are a blessing for the nomads--the rich pasture means healthy herds and the full lakes mean freedom from hauling water at the wells. I suspect many nomadic families will, for a change, be helping their city cousins."