August 8, 2007
Torrential rains inundated a small village in Burkina Faso, West Africa, on July 28. For 15 hours, the storm pummeled the village of Bama, 20 miles north of the capital city of Bobo Dioulasso, and the water rose quickly above three feet.
Rescue operations focused primarily on evacuating families to higher ground. More than 1,000 animals, often the only means people have to maintain wealth in the rural areas, were swept away in the rushing waters.
Ninety percent of village homes, made of adobe (mud) brick, did not withstand the force of the water, and nearly 450 houses collapsed. Clothing, furniture, cooking utensils, and food stored in granaries were lost in the flood.
An estimated 3,000 homeless people are crowded into schools, storage facilities, clinics, and village buildings built with cement. Water sources are now polluted, and the risks for a serious disease outbreak is high.
The local Alliance church, the president of the national church of the C&MA, and CAMA’s national partner, ACCEDES, are providing emergency supplies, including mats, clothing, and much-needed food. National television crews filmed the distribution, and authorities appreciated the coverage. CAMA, the relief arm of the C&MA, funded the initial effort.