Sierra Leone Mudslide: What, Where And Why?

I wasn't able to find a whole lot of information about the mudslides in Sierra Leone. I'm assuming that they deal with the practicality of things and there's not a whole lot anyone can do except to do the things that we are doing for the Hurricane Harvey survivors and what we aren't doing for Flint, Michigan. <Pause>

Right now, here's what I've read:

On August 14, a mudslide killed more than 400 people in the mountain town of Regent on the outskirts of Sierra Leone's capital Freetown, sweeping away homes and leaving residents desperate for news of missing family members.

Here is what we know about it so far:

What happened and when?

• A hillside collapsed on Monday at 6am local time (06:00 GMT), causing a mudslide on the outskirts of Sierra Leone's capital of Freetown.
• The mudslide occurred after three days of torrential rain.
• The mudslide and rain overwhelmed Freetown's drainage system, creating waterways that churned down steep streets across the capital.
• Mudslides overran several houses killing hundreds of residents, many of whom were trapped inside their homes.
• Military personnel have been deployed to help rescue those still trapped.
• According to Sierra Leone's president, an emergency response centre has been established in Regent.  

Where did it happen?

• The flooding took place in the mountain town of Regent, on the outskirts of Freetown.
• Located about 16km from the capital, the town of roughly one million people sits between the Atlantic Ocean and a range of hills.
• Many people in Regent live in informal settlements on steep hillsides.

How many casualties?

• The death toll has risen to nearly 500. At least 109 children are among those who have been killed. 
• It is estimated that at least 600 people remain missing.
• The morgue at Freetown's Connaught Hospital has been so overwhelmed by dead bodies that many of them have been left on the floor for lack of space.

What happened next?

• On Wednesday, President Ernest Bai Koroma's office promised "dignified burials" in the coming days. 
• The first of which is expected on Thursday at 3pm local time (15:00 GMT). However, according a local Freetown city council official at least 150 burials took places on Tuesday. 
• A week-long mourning was declared. 
• The International Organization for Migration released $150,000 in emergency funds.
• The government of Sierra Leone promised relief to thousands of people left homeless, opening an emergency response centre in Regent and four registration centres.
• The UN said it was evaluating humanitarian needs in the country and that "contingency plans are being put in place to mitigate any potential outbreak of waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhoea", according to spokesman Stephane Dujarric. 
• Turkey, the UK, Israel and the UAE vowed to send aid, including clean water, medicine and blankets.

I'm guessing the good ol' United States of 'Merica will not be adding to the list of those sending aid. But that doesn't mean we can't do it on our own. I don't know much about the international waters, who to trust, who to avoid. But as my Dad told me years ago - if you're going to give, give. It's not your business on how it's used. If you gave from the heart, you will be blessed. If someone is stupid enough to mess with the church's money (because this was a discussion about tithes and offering), they will have to answer for that. Now, once you give, it's not up to you to monitor or police where the money is going. You've done your part.

Source of This Story

How Can We Help? I've listed some sources of those that are either reporting on the slide or organizations that promise to aid those in Sierra Leone, without actually being there or knowing anything about the country & how the aid operates.


Click Here To Read About: Mudslides/Tragedy in Sierra Leone

Care.Org

Save The Children

Culture of Sierra Leone

Help Sierra Leone via CNN.com

I can't imagine the overwhelming grief and sadness with a tragedy of this magnitude but please know...