A child is seen at a temporary camp hosting flood victims in Mangalla, South Sudan, Oct. 23, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

 

Children are seen at a temporary camp hosting flood victims in Mangalla, South Sudan, Oct. 23, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

 
The United Nations Refugee Agency on Tuesday called on the international community to urgently assist South Sudanese affected by floods that have caused havoc in the country.

The UNHCR said the worst flooding in decades has impacted more than 700,000 people across South Sudan, noting that it is alarmed at the critical needs facing the most vulnerable.

Raging floods from weeks of heavy rains have swept away homes and inundated farmlands, forcing families and livestock to seek safety on higher ground and in neighboring towns.

UNHCR said it has teamed up with the humanitarian country team and South Sudan's government to deliver urgently needed support to the most affected, including hygiene items, food, emergency shelter and solar lanterns to provide light.

It said rains are expected to continue for the remainder of the year, with an anticipated increase in the number of people needing humanitarian assistance.

UNHCR said climatic stresses, both flooding and drought, sometimes taking place within the same year, have sparked inter-communal conflict, as communities are forced to seek and share refuge in ever shrinking patches of higher ground.

The recent floods primarily affect four states in South Sudan while in some areas, communities have not seen flooding to this extent since 1962, the UNHCR said.

"Others continue to experience the impact of these adverse weather events, where three years of consecutive flooding has eroded people's ability to cope and survive," UNHCR said.

The South Sudan government has already allocated 10 million U.S. dollars to flood response efforts.

The UN agency said the present floods have hit at a time when people are already facing the triple threat of conflict, COVID-19, and hunger.