2017 Sierra Leone mudslides - wikipedia 2017 Sierra Leone mudslides 2017 Sierra Leone mudslides Location of Western Area in Sierra Leone Date August 14, 2017 Time Approx. 6 : 30am GMT ( UTC + 0 : 00 ) Location Western Area, Sierra Leone Coordinates 8 ° 26 ′ 2 '' N 13 ° 13 ′ 22 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 8.43389 ° N 13.22278 ° W ﻿ / 8.43389 ; - 13.22278 Coordinates : 8 ° 26 ′ 2 '' N 13 ° 13 ′ 22 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 8.43389 ° N 13.22278 ° W ﻿ / 8.43389 ; - 13.22278 Cause Landslides due to heavy rain Deaths 499 + ( official figures ) ~ 1,050 ( estimated ) Missing 810 + Early in the morning on August 14, 2017, after three days of torrential rainfall, devastating floods and mudslides occurred in and around Sierra Leone 's capital city, Freetown. Heavy rainfall extended throughout the country during an especially wet rainy season, causing what is considered one of the worst disasters in decades. In the Western Area of Sierra Leone itself, rainfall totaled 41 inches ( 104 cm ) since July 1 -- nearly tripling the region 's seasonal average. The destructive behavior of the mudslides was exacerbated by a number of factors, including city 's situation at or below sea level, poor infrastructure, and ineffective drainage system. As of August 20, the number of confirmed deaths is 499 ; hundreds of others are missing and feared dead. More than 3,000 people were left homeless and hundreds of buildings were damaged or destroyed by the mudslides. After the initial threat receded, President Ernest Bai Koroma responded to the disaster and urged for unity amid recovery efforts. Widespread medical and search teams donated by the international community assisted thousands of people, and established temporary relocation centres. While dealing with damaged passageways and continued downpours, excavation teams recovered over 300 bodies in the first few days alone, overwhelming the Connaught Hospital mortuary in Freetown and resulting in mass burials to curve the threat of disease. The government of Sierra Leone launched its first ever cholera vaccination campaign on September 15, reaching over 500,000 citizens. Contents 1 Background 2 Impact 3 Aftermath 4 References 4.1 Bibliography Background The potential for deadly flooding in Sierra Leone was exacerbated by a combination of factors. Freetown, a densely populated and congested city occupied by about 1.2 million people at the time of the disaster, lies at or below sea level, and is flanked by heavily forested mountain ranges. It suffers from a long - term issue with poor urban development programs : `` The government is failing to provide housing for the poorest in society '', said Jamie Hitchen of the Africa Research Institute, while noting attention to unregulated construction is only received after a crisis. The lack of enforcement of a moratorium led to the encroachment of flood plains by unorganized settlements and municipal works, resulting in narrower water passageways. In flooding events, Freetown 's drainage systems are often blocked by discarded waste, especially in the city 's more impoverished communities, contributing to higher levels of surface runoff. The construction of large homes in hillside areas and unrestricted deforestation for residential purposes weakened the stability of nearby slopes and incurred significant adverse soil erosion. Within a decade leading to the disaster, Sierra Leone cleared approximately 800,000 hectares of forest cover -- the country 's civil war, fought between 1991 and 2002, is also a cause of deforestation. The nation 's Environmental Protective Agency reported a reforesting mission in the region two weeks prior to the floods and mudslides which was ultimately unsuccessful. Impact According to the National Weather Service 's Climate Prediction Center, Sierra Leone had been in the midst of a particularly wet rainy season, with the capital city of Freetown, in the Western Area of the country, experiencing 41 inches ( 104 cm ) of rainfall leading up to the mudslides since July 1, 2017 -- nearly tripling the area 's seasonal average. The Sierra Leone meteorological department did not issue a warning ahead of torrential rainfall to hasten evacuations from danger zones ; from August 11 to 14, Freetown received three consecutive days of downpours, which led to severe flooding in the city and its surrounding suburbs. Flooding is an annual threat for the area : in 2015 floods killed 10 people and left thousands homeless. Overlooking Freetown, Sugar Loaf mountain partially collapsed, triggering mudslides in the early morning of August 14 which damaged or completely submerged several houses and structures, killing residents -- many still asleep -- who were trapped inside. The collapse of the mountainside took place in two stages -- with the lower slope sliding into the Babadorie River Valley and, 10 minutes later, the upper portion, resulting in a `` tidal wave '' of landmass and debris. Highly mobile, the saturated debris flow, carrying mud, large boulders, tree trunks, and other material, advanced toward Lumley with a wall of flood water leading in front. The same day, four other known mudslides were reported in Regent, Goderich, and Tacuguma. The Regent suburban district endured the most devastation. A mountainous settlement 15 miles east of Freetown, Regent was covered by mud and debris when nearby hillsides collapsed around 6 : 00 GMT. The disaster also affected another 12 settlements in two districts -- Western Area Rural and Western Area Urban, and damaged 900 properties, covering 116,766 square meters, from Sugar Loaf Mountain to Lumley Creek. Accessibility between communities was lost : eight pedestrian roads and bridges connecting Kamayama and Kaningo took moderate or severe damage, and two road bridges on the Regent river channel were impacted ; in total, the damages to pathways amounted to $1 million ( US ) in costs. Power outages occurred in several communities, partially due to the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority 's ( EDSA ) temporarily taking certain areas off the grid to avoid electrical incidents. The damage to EDSA 's infrastructure totaled $174,000 ( US ). As many as 5,900 people were affected by the disaster. There are 499 confirmed fatalities, and hundreds more are feared dead. An initial estimate placed the number at 205, but rescue and aid workers cautioned that the survival rates for many of the 600 people still missing were slim. By August 27, local government and ministry officials reported 1,000 fatalities during religious services honoring the victims. Aftermath Later in the day, President Ernest Bai Koroma made a public address to Sierra Leone in a national broadcast, declaring a state of emergency and the establishment of a relief centre in Regent. He urged the nation, still recovering from the aftermath of the Ebola outbreak, to remain unified : `` Our nation has once again been gripped by grief. Many of our compatriots have lost their lives, many more have been gravely injured and billions of Leones ' worth of property destroyed in the flooding and landslides that swept across some parts of our city ''. He also addressed the coordination of registries in Freetown that provide aid for residents left without shelter. On August 15, the president declared seven days of national mourning, which would take effect immediately. Local organizations, military personnel, and the Red Cross of Sierra Leone contributed to immediate excavation and recovery efforts, and they worked amid rainfall. The continued downpours and damaged passageways disrupted relief efforts, as did the topography of affected areas. The Red Cross and the federal government donated 15 vehicles, including three ambulances, to assist in traveling to isolated areas, while the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ( UNODC ) sent a joint team of forensic officers and specialized rescue units with trained dogs. People initially used their bare hands and shovels to dig through mud and debris where machines were not yet available. The Connaught Hospital mortuary in Freetown was overwhelmed by nearly 300 bodies in the first day alone, forcing workers to lay victims on floors and outside the building to be identified. Due to the lack of manpower and threat of disease, bodies were buried in mass graves on August 16 at two sites in Waterloo. Sierra Leone 's Office for National Security ( ONS ) advised survivors to evacuate flood - prone areas. Additional evacuations took place when aerial images of a hillside adjacent from Sugar Loaf revealed a threat of another mudslide which could impact a much wider area. Response teams were deployed to two voluntary relocation centres : Old Skool compound in Hill Station and Juba barracks in Limely where workers distributed sanitation and medical supplies. By August 16, workers in Regent and Kaningo began constructing emergency latrines and four 10,000 - liter water harvesting systems. Stagnant waters raised fears for outbreaks of diarrhea and cholera ; however, workers provided storage tanks, purification tablets, and instructional courses on hygiene to help prevent an outbreak of waterborne diseases. The government of Sierra Leone also launched its first ever cholera vaccination campaign on September 15, targeting over 500,000 citizens living in the Western Area. After the disaster, affected areas faced water shortages ; as a result, United Nations Children 's Fund ( UNICEF ) distributed 26,000 liters of drinking water each day. Koroma made an appeal to the international community for relief. Several European countries responded with donations : the United Kingdom provided £ 5 million ( GBP ) for clean drinking water and medicine, Ireland donated € 400,000 ( EUR ), Spain donated € 50,000 ( EUR ) and assembled a technical forensic team, and Switzerland spent CHF 400,000 to provide sanitation and first - aid kits. West African country donations included $500,000 ( USD ) from Togo, medical supplies distributed by Liberia, and pledges for support by Guinea and Nigeria. Other governments such as China donated $1 million ( USD ) through their embassy in Freetown, and Israel sent an envoy supplying food and medical supplies. In response to the disaster, the United Nations ( UN ) arranged contingency plans to mitigate potential outbreaks of waterborne diseases. The UN 's migration agency allocated $150,000 ( USD ) in initial - response aid and mobilized personnel in Sierra Leone to assist in rescue operations and distribute supplies to survivors. The World Food Programme ( WFP ) provided rations for 7,500 people. The European Union ( EU ) authorized € 300,000 ( euros ) for humitarian aid on August 16. On August 17, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies ( IFRC ) approved CHF4. 6 million worth of aid to be distributed through the Sierra Leone Red Cross agency for use over a 10 - month period. References Jump up ^ `` Death toll of mudslide disaster in Sierra Leone rises to 499 ''. Daily Mail. Retrieved 20 August 2017. ^ Jump up to : Busari, Stephanie ; Clarke, Hilary. `` Death toll in Sierra Leone mudslides rises to 467 ''. Retrieved 18 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Aon Benfield Analytics '' ( PDF ). Aon Benfield Analytics. Retrieved 8 October 2017. Text `` Impact Forecasting Global Catastrophe Recap : August 2017 '' ignored ( help ) Jump up ^ `` Floods kill more than 300, fears rise for 600 missing ''. Al Jazeera. August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Sierra Leone floods : 500 deaths confirmed ''. Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 24 August 2017. ^ Jump up to : Drury, Flora ( August 16, 2017 ). `` Freetown : A disaster waiting to happen ? ''. BBC. Retrieved August 16, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Ratcliffe, Rebecca ( August 14, 2017 ). `` Hundreds killed after Sierra Leone mudslide ''. The Guardian. Retrieved August 15, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Roy - Macaulay, Clarence ( August 14, 2017 ). `` At least 300 dead in Sierra Leone mudslides and flooding ''. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 15, 2017. Jump up ^ Gibbens, Sarah ( August 16, 2017 ). `` Explaining the Deadly Sierra Leone Mudslide ''. National Geographic Channel. Retrieved August 16, 2017. Jump up ^ Clarke, Hillary ( August 14, 2017 ). `` Hundreds killed in Sierra Leone mudslides ''. CNN. Retrieved August 15, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Mudslides, floods sweep through Sierra Leone capital Freetown, 312 dead ''. Hindustan Times. August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017. Jump up ^ Cooper, Lara ( August 14, 2017 ). `` Sierra Leone Reeling in Wake of Rising Flood Waters ''. Direct Relief. Retrieved August 15, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Sierra Leone floods kill hundreds as mudslides bury houses ''. BBC. August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017. ^ Jump up to : The World Bank 2017, p. 15. Jump up ^ The World Bank 2017, p. 28. ^ Jump up to : The World Bank 2017, p. 18. ^ Jump up to : `` Sierra Leone : Mudslides - Area and Infrastructure Affected - August 2017 '' ( PDF ). Relief Web. August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017. Jump up ^ The World Bank 2017, p. 19. Jump up ^ `` Sierra Leone : Landslide and Floods Situation Update no. 8, 31 August 2017 '' ( PDF ). Relief Web. August 31, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017. Jump up ^ `` 400 killed, hundreds missing in devastating Sierra Leone mudslide ''. News Pig. Retrieved August 15, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Johnson, Christo ( August 15, 2017 ). `` Nearly 400 bodies recovered from Sierra Leone mudslide ''. Reuters. Retrieved August 15, 2017. Jump up ^ Kennedy, Merrit ( August 14, 2017 ). `` Hundreds Feared Dead After Mudslide In Sierra Leone ''. NPR. Retrieved August 15, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Sierra Leone mudslide claims 350 lives ''. Central Queensland Radio. Retrieved August 15, 2017. Jump up ^ Roy - Macaulay, Clarence ( August 27, 2017 ). `` Local Leaders Say 1,000 People Died in the Mudslides in Sierra Leone ''. Time. Retrieved August 30, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Sierra Leone mudslides : Urgent plea for help as death toll rises ''. BBC News. August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Sierra Leone declares 7 - day mourning for mudslide victims ''. Business Standard. IANS. Retrieved August 16, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Briefing Notes : Sierra Leone mudslides and floods '' ( PDF ). Relief Web. August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Flash Update '' ( PDF ). Relief Web. August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Sierra Leone : Flash Update no. 3 OCHA West & Central Africa, 17 August 2017 '' ( PDF ). Relief Web. August 17, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2017. Jump up ^ Barry, Jaime ( August 16, 2017 ). `` Sierra Leone Buries Over 300 Mudslide Victims in Mass Graves ''. New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2017. Jump up ^ Busari, Stephanie ( August 17, 2017 ). `` Sierra Leone : New mudslide threat looms ahead of mass burial ''. CNN. Retrieved August 17, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Sierra Leone : Flood and landslide Situation Report No. 7, 31 August 2017 '' ( PDF ). Relief Web. August 31, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Status report '' ( PDF ). Relief Web. August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017. Jump up ^ `` In Sierra Leone mudslides rip a community apart ''. Relief Web. August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Emergency cholera vaccination campaign kicks off in Sierra Leone ''. Relief Web. September 15, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Sierra Leone : Flood and landslide Situation Report No. 5, 22 August 2017 '' ( PDF ). Relief Web. August 22, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Switzerland to send CHF400, 000 in aid to Sierra Leone ''. Swiss Info. August 19, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Sierra Leone : Flash Update no. 4 OCHA West & Central Africa, 19 August 2017 '' ( PDF ). Relief Web. August 19, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2017. Jump up ^ Seagbeh, Evelyn ( August 18, 2017 ). `` Liberian team to aid Sierra Leone 's mudslide victims ''. Anadolu Agency. Retrieved August 19, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Chinese Government Provides One Million USD Emergency Disaster Relief Fund to Sierra Leone ''. Relief Web. August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` UN evaluates Sierra Leone needs after deadly floods ''. New Straits Times. August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2017. Jump up ^ Ratcliffe, Rebecca ; Inveen, Cooper ( August 15, 2017 ). `` Sierra Leone mudslide : president calls for urgent help as search continues ''. The Guardian. ISSN 0261 - 3077. Retrieved August 15, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Sierra Leone : Flash Update no. 2 OCHA West & Central Africa, 16 August 2017 ''. Relief Web. August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017. Jump up ^ `` EU sends emergency relief for Sierra Leone ''. Relief Web. August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Sierra Leone : Mudslides - Emergency Appeal ''. Relief Web. August 17, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2017. Bibliography The World Bank ( 2017 ). Sierra Leone Rapid Damage and Loss Assessment of August 14th, 2017 - Landslides and Floods in the Western Area ( PDF ). Relief Web. 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Question: when did the mudslide happen in sierra leone
Answer: August 14, 2017