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KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) - Torrential downpours and flash floods across Africa have submerged whole towns and washed away bridges, farms and schools. This summer's rains have killed at least 150 people, displaced hundreds of thousands and prompted the U.N. to warn Saturday of a rising risk of disease outbreaks.
In eastern Uganda, nine people have been reported killed and 150,000 have been made homeless since early August. Another 400,000 — mainly subsistence farmers — have lost their livelihoods after their fields were flooded or roads washed away and the rains are forecast to worsen in the next month.
"The problem is getting worse by the hour," said Uganda's Minister for Relief and Disaster Preparedness Musa Ecweru, who spent Saturday viewing the affected areas by plane. "Access to some communities is almost impossible. We will need boats and helicopters to deliver emergency interventions," he added.
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