Thousands of rain-affected victims still without aid

Humanitarian aid is yet to reach at least 78,000 people whose homes were destroyed following recent heavy rains in eastern Congo, administrative officials and humanitarian workers have said. "The most critical needs include medicine, blankets, rehabilitation of houses as well as non-food items such as kitchen utensils," Michel Bonnardeaux, the spokesman of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said on Monday in the capital, Kinshasa. "Concerns remain regarding limited supplies of plastic sheeting to provide temporary shelter for those whose houses were completely destroyed," he said. He added: "It is the rainy season and the threat of epidemics is serious due to the destruction of latrines and absence of adequate drainage." Torrential rains last week in the town of Oicha and surrounding areas in the province of North Kivu resulted in the death of three people and at least 1,000 homes destroyed, leading to the population displacement. "Entire families are homeless, without assistance; they are sleeping under the stars," Jean-Baptiste Kahindo Kamabu, the chief administrator of Oicha town, said on Monday. Buildings in Eringeti, an area near Oicha, were also destroyed when the tornado-like storms struck. According to an evaluation mission conducted by local authorities, more than 1,000 homes, 38 schools, 15 churches, 62 commercial buildings and six for internally displaced persons (IDPs) were seriously damaged in the Oicha-Eringeti area. Aid workers, who conducted a similar mission last weekend in the region, found that besides the three deaths and 85 people injured, the damage was mainly material, according to OCHA. OCHA and the local administrative authorities said the structural damage to the town of Oicha was considerable, approximately one-third of the city's buildings were seriously damaged or destroyed. "The roofs of several health centres as well as the roof of Oicha's hospital have been damaged and considerable stocks of medicines valued at approximately 5,320 dollars were also destroyed," Bonnardeaux said. He said seven of the nine IDP camps visited were affected by the storm. Humanitarian sources estimate that the storm destroyed 50 percent of the IDP shelters. At least 30 schools were completely destroyed or seriously damaged in the whole Oicha region. Some 87 latrines were also destroyed. Subsequently, children are not attending school.