Volunteer youth were evacuating vulnerable families stranded in floodwaters in parts of Jonglei State’s Fangak County following the morning collapse of the river dykes.
Fangak County lawmaker Michael Bol Gatdor told Radio Tamazuj that 20 families had been evacuated to the headquarters at the New Fangak town, while hundreds more remained stranded amidst limited resources.
“Chot Bore villages of Old Fangak Payam have been overrun by the floods following the overflow of Zerraf and Nile rivers. Thousands of people, especially women, children, and the elderly are stranded in floodwaters,” Gatdor stated.
“So far, our youth have evacuated 20 families to the county headquarters using local boats.”
The lawmaker described the situation as dire as food and shelter were lacking for the lucky evacuated ones. He warned of a dire humanitarian crisis and appealed for intervention.
Fangak County Commissioner Biel Boutrus Biel also decried the dire situation and appealed for intervention.
“What we want now is not food. We want to be assisted so that the stranded ones are evacuated. Chot Bore has a population of 6,500 and those people cannot be evacuated using these rowed boats,” he said.