ADRA Mobilizes to Deliver Emergency Aid in South Sudan as Severe Flooding Continues to Ravage the Country

Story by Iris Argueta

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is preparing to launch a national emergency management plan (NEMP) in South Sudan to assist the hundreds of thousands of families, children, and individual people affected by the catastrophic floods. ADRA emergency experts have been on the ground inspecting flood-affected villages and realigning their existing programs to meet the current humanitarian needs. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), massive heavy rains have killed dozens of people, displaced almost one million South Sudanese, and submerged entire communities across the country.

“There are logistical obstacles, with many roads impassable and airstrips inundated, but ADRA teams are assessing the situation diligently and identifying gaps in humanitarian aid. We are collaborating with local governments and trusted partners to find ways to provide immediate assistance. Massive flooding has been wreaking havoc on the country for the past three years, and this season has exacerbated an already severe situation,” says Billy Andre, ADRA's emergency response program manager for Africa and Europe. "People lack food and land to cultivate anything. We've heard of children being separated from their families by rivers. Health officials are reporting a rise in malaria, mental trauma, and anxiety, as well as snake bite incidences.”

Local authorities also warn that a lack of sanitation and hygiene is polluting water sources and that waterborne illnesses are on the rise. 

ADRA's response plan for South Sudan will most likely include shelter, water distribution and purification tablets, disease prevention, as well as temporary mobile classrooms. Visit ADRA.org to discover more about the global humanitarian agency's mission and how you can help.