Flooding event north of the Republic of the Congo

Sentinel-1 CSAR IW acquired on 01 July 2020 from 04:33:46 to 04:35:01 UTC
Sentinel-1 CSAR IW acquired on 30 August 2020 from 04:33:50 to 04:35:05 UTC
Sentinel-1 CSAR IW acquired on 11 September 2020 from 04:33:50 to 04:35:05 UTC
Sentinel-1 CSAR IW acquired on 17 October 2020 from 04:33:51 to 04:35:06 UTC
Author(s): Sentinel Vision team, VisioTerra, France - svp@visioterra.fr
Keyword(s): Emergency, natural disaster, precipitations, river, Republic of the Congo
Fig. 1 - S1 (30.08.2020) - Seasonal flooding in the Republic of the Congo is common, especially in the northern regions.
Floods affected over 169 000 people in 2019. Flooding concerns were raised in July 2020, when rainfall was reported at twice the seasonal average.
Fig. 2 - S1 (23.09.2020) - Heavy rainfall since late September caused flooding in Likouala department.
Flooding concerns were raised in July, when rainfall was reported at twice the seasonal average. 46 000 people in over 70 villages have been affected as of 18 October.
Fig. 3 - S1 (17.10.2020) - Flooding has forced premature harvesting and destroyed crops, raising concerns about food security.
Prices of essential goods are already higher than average due to COVID-19-related border closures, and are likely to further increase with the effects of the floods. Other needs are not yet known, but displacement of affected populations into the forest is likely to increase health risks, should they lack adequate shelter and clean water.