Disasters Charter Activated: Flood in Benin

October 8, 2010 at 1:00 pm | Posted in Remote Sensing Law, Remote Sensing Law Current Events | Leave a comment

by Joanne Irene Gabrynowicz with the blog faculty

Source: International Charter Space and Major Disasters

Type of Event  Flood

Location of Event Cotonou, Benin

Date of Charter Activation 08/10/2010

Charter Requestor United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) on behalf of the United Nations Office for The Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Regional Office for West Africa(ROWA)

Project Management

Description of the Event

More than 30,000 people are currently homeless in Benin and at least 7,000 hectares of crops are destroyed as a result of flooding. The most affected areas are So-Ava, Cotonou (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 9th Arrondissements)Karimana communities. Indeed unusually heavy rainfall during this rainy season with more forecasted over the next 3 days, the waters of the River Niger and the Ouémé River experienced unusually rapid rise, overflowing their banks to cause flooding in most parts of the country .