Hydrosphere Journal Entry
Hydrosphere Journal Entry
Floods Swamp Tanzania (January 25, 2010)
Infrared satellite view of floods in central Tanzania. Flooded areas are gray-green, while vegetation is red. Relief Web.
Days of heavy rain triggered floods that left thousands of people homeless in Tanzania. The floods destroyed homes, crops, and bridges. Major rivers overflowed their banks, while key roads are swamped. People living in the central and southern parts of the nation have been hit especially hard.
The floods raise the threat of water-borne diseases. Water and sanitation systems have been damaged or destroyed in some areas, leaving thousands without fresh water. ReliefWeb estimates that 50,000 people have been affected by the floods.
Tanzania has been hit with unusually heavy rain for the past month. Floods also left thousands of people homeless in neighboring Kenya. Meteorologists link the soggy weather across East Africa with the current El Niño, the global climate pattern marked by warmer than normal ocean water in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
