News
Cameroon - How to recover from floods
Every year, the Far North region of Cameroon is hit by floods that affect hundreds of thousands of people
Publié le 12/03/2025 | Temps de lecture : 2 min
In 2024, the floods were particularly devastating, submerging entire villages and forcing many families to flee. Between July and December, more than 400,000 people were affected, creating an urgent need for shelter, drinking water and food assistance.
Christine, an internally displaced person from the town of Kousseri, is one of those who had to rebuild everything after losing their home.
A night of chaos
Christine, a mother of nine, was living with her family in Kousseri when the floods struck. “We’ve lived through periods of flooding before, but the water came gradually. This year, the water surprised us at night as we were lying in bed”, she recounts. Taken by surprise, her son tried to dismantle part of the roof to save materials, but the house collapsed under the pressure of the water. Their grain store was destroyed. Part of the wall fell on Christine, injuring her foot. Her husband took her to hospital while their children sought refuge in the Camp Militaire site for the displaced.
Precariousness and uncertainty
In their new makeshift shelter, the family had to cope with precarious living conditions. “My husband and our eldest son did odd jobs to bring in food, but it wasn’t enough. We had to reduce the number of meals per day,” explains Christine. Even when the floodwaters receded, returning home was out of the question, as they had no money to rebuild their house.
Support
for rebuilding
Thanks to the Rapid Response Mechanism set up by Première Urgence Internationale, Christine and her family were able to benefit from financial aid to rebuild their home. “I received a sum of money to buy materials and pay for labor, as explained to us during the awareness-raising sessions,” she explains. With this support, she was able to acquire sheet metal, rafters and battens. With the help of her neighbors, she also made mud bricks to rebuild her home.
Humanitarian aid met the urgent needs of around 1,670 households in Kousseri. This assistance is not limited to material support: it also enables families to regain a sense of security and hope after the disaster.
These activities are made possible thanks to the support of European Union Humanitarian Aid and the Ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères.
