More than 100 killed by floods and landslides in Congo’s Kinshasa
Washington PostMAR 11 2023
According to officials, at least 141 people died in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Tuesday after floods caused landslides in the capital city of Kinshasa. Pres. Félix Tshisekedi on Wednesday declared three days of mourning.
Entire neighborhoods have been inundated with flood waters and mud, destroying homes and roads and creating sinkholes — one of which destroyed the roadway between Kinshasa and the chief seaport of Matadi.
One resident living in Mont-Ngafula said, "we've never seen a flood here on this scale," adding: "I was asleep, and I could feel water in the house...it's a disaster. We've lost all our possessions in the house, nothing could be saved."
This latest disaster is evidence that climate change is widespread and rapidly accelerating. As cities face increased extreme events like flooding, the world needs to adapt. Local and national governments are reacting too slowly — we must stop standing idly by amid this ecological crisis, and open our eyes to the economic opportunity to grow our cities equitably for the future.
Climate change threatens every nation on the planet, but poor nations like the DRC are facing the brunt of the disastrous impacts. Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and failed crop seasons will only worsen until appropriate funding is allocated to help these overpopulated and impoverished regions develop economically and infrastructurally.
It's easy to dismiss any extreme weather event as a consequence of climate change, but in reality they're usually influenced by a myriad of factors that have nothing to do with it. More research is needed before we can establish any direct causal link between the two.