It’s rainy season in Somalia.
You would think that for a region facing an epic drought that rains would be welcome. But in the short term, the rainy season is causing big problems. For one, flash floods have hindered humanitarian access to camps. The airstrip that services the second largest camp for Somali refugees, Dollo Ado in Ethiopia, has been out of service for four days. Trucks that bring water to Dadaab Refugee camp — which hosts about a half million Somali refugees in Kenya — have been delayed because of roads destroyed by flooding.
The lack of clean water has lead to a cholera outbreak at Dadaab. So far, there are 60 confirmed cases and 1 death, UNHCR reported today. A cholera outbreak during rainy season in world’s the largest refugee camp is a huge disaster in the making.