User:Ghcgrp5/2022 Eastern Cape floods

Short-term Consequences
Urban floods mostly afflict the informal settlements of African cities, which are characterised by subpar housing and infrastructure. Floods that hit parts of Mthatha, Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, the municipality of Mdantsane, and parts of East London on January 8, 2022, were caused by heavy rainfall. Flash floods in parts of the Eastern Cape displaced hundreds of people. Infrastructure was severely damaged, including 49 health facilities and 57 schools. Bridges were destroyed, access to pipelines was blocked, rivers washed away their banks and some main roads were flooded, making access to stranded communities even more difficult. Environmental health services and infrastructure were damaged or disrupted, and the risk of waterborne and foodborne infections increased. Overcrowding and population displacement are ideal environments for outbreaks of respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases. Residents who suffer from chronic illnesses may not have received the care they needed or taken their medication on time. As the floodwaters receded, disease-carrying insects proliferated. Scientists have predicted the imminent emergence of highly contagious animal diseases.

Long-term Consequences
With global climate change and increased urbanisation, heavy rainfall events are expected to occur more frequently and with greater intensity in the future, and urban flooding is more likely to occur. Catastrophic flooding is often accompanied by water-borne diseases, including cholera, diarrhoea, typhoid, hepatitis and gastroenteritis. The trauma in the hearts of survivors who have lost a loved one can be difficult to recover from in a short time, producing anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and can exacerbate physical illness. Impacts such as the loss of crops, housing and other infrastructure also often translate into long-term problems such as malnutrition, poor maternal and child health care, and contamination of water sources with E. coli, further exacerbating the spread of infectious diseases.