Heed the signs of impending disaster

Pursuant to several study findings, Africa is the most vulnerable continent to climate change. For decades, its devastating effects have been felt in many African states particularly those located in the sub-Saharan region.

Most of the hard-fought gains by the continent in the past decades have been debased by disasters brought about by climate change.

The situation is further worsened by underdevelopment, poor economy and the poor standard of living in Africa.

Between the 1970s and the 1990s, regions in west and central Africa were greatly affected by a series of dry spells, collectively dubbed the Sahal drought, which scientists attributed to the pollution in countries located north of the equator, primarily in America and Europe, and described it as the worst drought to ever hit the planet in the 20th Century.

An almost similar cataclysm once again befell the continent but this time in the East African region. In 2011, the East African community faced what was described as the worst drought in 60 years.

Terrible food crisis

Rains fluctuated and were deficient in two consecutive rainy seasons which contributed to the development of the punishing drought that sucked East Africa dry for more than a year. This drought situation threatened the livelihood of more than ten million people by ruining their livelihoods, including livestock and local market systems.

Tens of thousands of people died and hundreds of thousands, most of whom originated from Somalia, were forced to decamp from their strife-torn regions to neighbouring countries in hopes of evading hunger and locating greener pastures.

It is also reported that many of those that lost their lives were children under the age of five.

According to the United Nations, the harsh drought led to crop failures and food shortages across a number of countries including Somalia, the most affected region at that time, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya.

As a result this triggered a terrible food crisis and high malnutrition rates, which in the long run also affected Sudan, South Sudan and various regions in Uganda.

Later studies revealed that the deaths of tens of thousands of people during this particular period could have been averted if the international community, national governments and aid agencies heeded to the early warning signs that a disaster was up and coming.