Flooding in the south of Mauritania leaves 5 dead - nearly half the annual rainfall in a few days

Floodlist
Thu, 29 Aug 2019 19:18 UTC

At least 5 people have died in recent flooding in southern Mauritania according to media reports.

Mauritania news agency AMI said that dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed in the Guidimaka Region following storms and heavy rains that began around 25 August, 2019.
Fatalities were reported in Sélibaby City, capital of the region with a population of around 26,000. Roads, bridges and other infrastructure were also damaged.

Media reported that 200mm of rain fell in the area.

Social Media

نطالب السلطات بمد يد العون للأهالى في مدينة #سيلبابي. #موريتانيا pic.twitter.com/nKLnI8XCPR

— Jiddou Mohamed (@JiddouMohamed9) August 26, 2019

للأسف أمطار غزيرة وفيضانات أصابت مدينة #سيلبابي في وسط #موريتانيا.
كان الله في عون كل الأهالي. pic.twitter.com/ILwz57KVcz

— عمارو ولد ذو النورين (@WXrCHZLRs14nvTc) August 27, 2019

ولاية گيدي ماغه بأقصي الجنوب الموريتاني منكوبه بسبب الأمطار الغزيرة التي خلفت خسائر مادية معتبرة وبشرية تتمثل في وفاة ثلاثة أشخاص وواحد مفقود ويحتمل المزيد... pic.twitter.com/j0ORuyb5Mz

— lebatt (@olebatt) August 27, 2019

Comment: From climate-data.org:

The climate in Sélibaby is referred to as a local steppe climate. During the year there is little rainfall. This climate is considered to be BSh according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. The average annual temperature in Sélibaby is 29.0 °C. The rainfall here averages 452 mm.