EASTERN AFRICA REGION Floods and Locust Outbreak Snapshot May 2020 Heavy rainfall has intensified across large swathes of Eastern Africa in recent weeks, causing death, In Burundi, the Rusizi River burst its banks for the second time in two weeks on 30 April, affecting tens of thousands displacement, flooding, landslides and damage to homes, infrastructure and livelihoods. Many weather of people. In Somalia, torrential rains and riverine floods have inundated at least 27 districts, with Belet Weyne in stations have recorded their highest amounts of rainfall in 40 years, according to IGAD. Since the beginning Hiran region worst-hit. In western Kenya, the Nzoia, Lusumu, Yala, Kipsangui, Malakisi, Sio and Malaba rivers, and of the ‘long rains’ season in March 2020, over 1.3 million people have been affected by flooding in the Lake Victoria, have caused displacement, while in Rwanda, intensified storms since 1 May have killed at least 70 sub-region, including at least 481,000 displaced, in: Burundi (around 50,000 affected, most of whom are people and severely impacted seven districts—Gakenke, Musanze, Nyabihu, Muganga, Ruhango, Rubavu and displaced); Djibouti (over 110,000 affected in the capital in the last week of April); Ethiopia (219,000 Ngororero. In Tanzania, a landslide washed away 50 houses in Arusha on 20 April. affected, including nearly 107,000 displaced); Kenya (233,000 affected, including 116,000 displaced); The recent heavy rains come on the back of an above-average ‘short rains’ season in the region, driven by the Rwanda (thousands affected); Somalia (546,000 affected, including nearly 217,000 displaced); Tanzania strongest positive Indian Ocean Dipole since 2016, which affected at least 3.4 million people across Eastern Africa (31,000 affected, including 13,500 displaced); and Uganda (hundreds of thousands affected). and caused water bodies across the region to swell. Beyond their immediate impact on families and communities, With water levels rising in multiple locations across the region, rivers have burst their banks and lakes have the heavy rains in the region have provided conditions conducive to the further breeding of desert locusts. Although overflowed. In Uganda, Lake Victoria’s water levels are the highest recorded since 1964—more than 50 control operations have reduced locust populations, another generation of breeding is underway, with new hopper years ago—according to authorities, causing displacement of communities close to the shoreline and bands and swarms expected to form in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia during May and June, and the potential for creating challenges for the country’s hydropower infrastructure. Lake Albert is also at an historically high some swarms to reach Eritrea and Sudan in June. level and could breach its shoreline if rains continue, while Lake Kyoga has already breached its shoreline. FLOOD-AFFECTED AREAS RAINFALL FORECAST (APR-JUN 2020) LOCUST INFESTATION 1.3million* flood-affected people SUDAN ERITREA ERITREA (since March) SUDAN DJIBOUTI DJIBOUTI ETHIOPIA SUDAN ERITREA ETHIOPIA SOUTH SUDAN DJIBOUTI SOUTH SUDAN 110K Probability 80% SOMALIA Above normal SOMALIA Probability70% ETHIOPIA KENYA UGANDA UGANDA 60%80% 219K Above normal 50%70% SOUTH SUDAN RWANDA RWANDA KENYA BURUNDI 40%60% BURUNDI 50% Below 40% SOMALIA TANZANIA normal 40% 50% TANZANIA Locust infested area 546K Below 40% normal 60% Locust potential spread 50% 70% UGANDA KENYA 60% 80% 233K 70% 80% RWANDA SEVERELY FOOD INSECURE PEOPLE BURUNDI 2.5 50K TANZANIA 1.5 Forecast 31K 25.8 million 0.5 xx Affected people 8.5m -0.5 6m 5.9m Affected areas * The number of people affected in Uganda and Rwanda are yet to be determined 1.7m 1.3m -1.5 1m 1m 0.5m Jan Apr Jul Oct Jan Apr Jul Oct Jan Apr Jul Oct Jan Apr Jul Oct Jan Jun 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Ethiopia South Sudan Sudan Burundi Somalia Tanzania Kenya Uganda The Indian Ocean Dipole index measures the difference in sea surface temperature between the western and eastern Indian Ocean temperature difference (°C) The administrative boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. Creation date: 11 May 2020 Sources: OCHA, Kenya Red Cross Society, FAO, IRI Columbia University, IPC, Floodlist Feedback: [email protected] Twitter: @unocha_rosea www.unocha.org/rosea www.reliefweb.int.