The 2010–2011 Southern Africa floods were a series of

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

s across three countries in

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, and ...

. Linked to a

La Niña LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...

event, above-average rains starting in December led to widespread flooding. Thousands of people were displaced and evacuations of more continued. , at least 141 people are known to have been killed, including 88 in

KwaZulu Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

. The

South African government The Government of South Africa, or South African Government, is the national government of the Republic of South Africa, a parliamentary republic with a three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a parliamentary ...

declared 33 disaster zones.

Background

In December 2010, a global weather pattern known as La Niña resulted in increased rainfall over Southern Africa. Similar events related to the La Niña took place in several other countries around the world, including Australia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Pakistan and the Philippines.

South Africa

In South Africa more than 6,000 people have been displaced and 70 known to have been killed due to the floods. This number is expected to rise as police continue to search for an unknown number of missing persons. Eight of the country's nine provinces have been declared disaster areas, allowing for national funds to be distributed. Preliminary estimates placed crop damage at R1 billion ($145 million US$). Property damage was also estimated at $52 million. An estimated of agricultural land has been affected by the floods. The

South African Air Force The South African Air Force (SAAF) is the air warfare branch of South African National Defence Force, with its headquarters in Pretoria. The South African Air Force was established on 1 February 1920. The Air Force saw service in World War II a ...

was brought in to aid in evacuating residents through air lifts by 15 January. In a statement Co-operative Government Minister Sicelo Shiceka, displaced residents were told not to return to their homes. File:Brandmuller Avenue.JPG,

Vereeniging Vereeniging ( ; ) is a city located in the south of Gauteng province, South Africa, situated where the Klip River empties into the northern loop of the Vaal River. It is also one of the constituent parts of the Vaal Triangle region and was forme ...

, South Africa File:Barnyard Vereeniging.JPG, Barnyard theatre, Vereeniging, South Africa

Mozambique

Throughout

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

, red alerts were issued along several of the country's rivers as they neared flood stage. An estimated 13,000 people have been evacuated and at least 13 are known to have been killed. Fearing a repeat of the

2000 Mozambique flood The 2000 Mozambique flood was a natural disaster that occurred in February and March 2000. The catastrophic flooding was caused by heavy rainfall caused by Cyclone Leon-Eline that lasted for four weeks and made many homeless. Approximately 800 pe ...

s, residents living along the

Limpopo River The Limpopo River () rises in South Africa and flows generally eastward through Mozambique to the Indian Ocean. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a group of Tsonga settlers led by Hosi Rivombo who settled in the mou ...

began evacuating on 19 January as the river rose to its alert level. In some areas, the river has topped its banks, flooding dozens of hectares of crops. According to Chokwe district administrator Alberto Libombo, the rise in the river was mostly attributed to increased discharges at dams upstream where heavy rains fell.

Elsewhere

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

, some areas recorded their heaviest rainfall in over 30 years, leading to fears of deadly floods across the country. A flood-related bus crash killed four people and flooding in another location claimed another victim in

Masvingo Masvingo, known as Fort Victoria during the colonial period, is a city in southeastern Zimbabwe and the capital of Masvingo Province. The city lies close to Great Zimbabwe, the national monument from which the country takes its name and clos ...

. The nation's Civil Protection Unit director Madzudzo Pawadyira urged that any residents living in low-lying areas evacuate to higher ground. Similarly heavy rains also affected portions of

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

and

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

; however, it is unknown if flooding has taken place in these areas. In southern

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

, thousands of people are threatened by the possibility of widespread flooding that could submerge entire villages. Two rivers, the

Shoshong Shoshong is a town in Botswana, formerly the chief settlement of the eastern Bamangwato. Physical location Shoshong is located just north of the Tropic of Capricorn at , in the Central District of Botswana, about west of Mahalapye. The town is ...

and Mpolonyane, have already burst their banks and have inundated nearby areas. Daily activity in

and

Kalamare Kalamare is a village in Central District of Botswana. It is located 35 km north-west of Mahalapye Mahalapye is a town located in the Central District of Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked ...

was disrupted as residents were faced with rising flood waters, forcing schools to close. Parts of

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

were also faced with floods, but the government is taking extreme caution due to a recent flood, three years ago, which devastated parts of the country.

References