Did you hear about the flood?

While most of the mainstream media was focused on President Obama’s visit to Ghana, elsewhere in West Africa, the people of Benin have been devastated by floods caused by torrential rains.

“Thousands of people fleeing floodwaters are living with precarious food security, [staying with] family and in public places,” a government official explained. Flood victims are in dire need of water, food, medicine, mosquito nets and clothing, the report continued. Tens of millions of dollars are needed to provide the relief that is critical for more than 20,000 men, women and children.

United Nations staff have been deployed to help with shelter, medical and sanitation needs around Cotonou, the commercial capital, and along the southern coastline which were among the hardest hit regions.