More than 100 killed by floods and landslides in Congo’s Kinshasa
Washington PostAPR 2023
Heavy downpours, flooding, and landslides during rainy seasons are common in central Africa. However, extreme weather events in the second-most populous continent are happening with increased frequency and intensity due to climate change and deforestation. Unfortunately, the DRC has failed to learn from previous disasters by implementing proper infrastructure, which means these catastrophes continue to have disastrous consequences.
The DRC is riddled not only with corruption and conflict — the price of which has been human suffering on an unimaginable scale — but is also dealing with economic calamity. While disaster preparedness seems like an obvious solution to mitigating the effects of these climate events, the reality is that the country lacks the means to implement such measures. Only a robust, strong government could make one of the five poorest countries in the world well-prepared and well-resourced to deal with natural disasters.