Floods have hit Nyirol County in South Sudan’s Jonglei state, leaving thousands homeless, local officials said.

Speaking to radio Tamazuj on Saturday, James Bol Makuei, the county commissioner, appealed for support for the floods-stricken residents.

“In Nyirol, cultivation started in July, but in August, floods started to destroy all the crops.  So people are hungry because there is no relief aid,” he said. “Waat, Thol, Pulturuk, Tut, and Pading are the worst hit by the floods due to heavy rain and water from neighbouring areas. And as we speak, the airstrip is overrun by the floods.”

Both Jal, a Langkien town resident, said the floods have destroyed their livelihoods.

“Yesterday, I was in Thol near Langkien town. The floods are too much. People are displaced. Water is coming from Waat. We tried to control, but we failed,” he said.

For his part, Gatkhor Dual, the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) coordinator in Nyirol, also appealed to the aid agencies to come to their aid.

“All six Payam of the county are affected, and people are displaced to dry areas within the county. No assessment has been made, and no humanitarian intervention so far. So we appealed for help,” he said.

Source: Radio Tamazuj