Authorities in northern Cameroon voiced fears of a humanitarian emergency on Thursday, as flood waters swept through the far northern part of the country, forcing hundreds from their homes. "The situation on the ground is very worrying," governor Augustine Fonka Awa told dpa by telephone. "This year, the region of the far north has faced higher rainfall than usual," he said. "This has resulted in flooding. The inhabitants of four villages have already been evacuated." Cameroon is the latest West African country to be affected by the rainy season's floods, which have already caused devastation in low-lying parts of Nigeria, Niger and Senegal. The affected area in Cameroon is located in a valley, from which flood waters do not easily drain away. Fonka Awa told dpa that displaced families are temporarily being housed in tented camps. The government is providing food and water, but Fonka Awa said that if needs increase, provisions will be harder to come by. There are no latrines in the camps, he said, and there are fears that waterborne diseases such as cholera could take hold. Cholera is already affecting parts of Sierra Leone and Guinea, largely due to a lethal mix of flooding and poor sanitation facilities in poor areas. In 2010, 657 people died from cholera in Cameroon during a period of flooding. -- SPA
