Overall Orange alert Flood
in Democratic Republic of Congo

Event summary

This flood can have a medium humanitarian impact based on the magnitude and the affected population and their vulnerability.

GDACS ID FL 1101981
Glide number: FL-2023-000067-COD
Death: 478
Displaced: 3300
Countries: Democratic Republic of Congo
From - To 01 May - 10 May

GDACS Score

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Virtual OSOCC
Meteo assessment
Satellite products
Analytical products
Democratic Republic of the Congo - Flash floods (ECHO 08 May 2023)Mon, 08 May 2023 09:27

  • Very heavy rainfall has been affecting the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, also known as Congo-Kinshasa), in particular the South Kivu Province (bordering with Rwanda and Burundi), over the last week, causing rivers to overflow (particularly Cibira/Cabondo and Nyamukubi Rivers) and flash floods that have resulted in casualties and severe damage. The worst affected area is the Kalehe Territory (north-eastern part of South Kivu Province).
  • Media report, as of 8 May, up to 400 unconfirmed fatalities, with an uncertain number of persons still missing and dozens of houses destroyed across the Kalehe Territory.
  • Over the next 24 hours, more heavy rainfall is forecast over the whole South Kivu Province.
Flood in Democratic Republic of Congo - UNITAR-UNOSAT ActivationMon, 08 May 2023 14:41

UNITAR-UNOSAT Potentially Damaged Buildings has been activated
Flood in Democratic Republic of Congo - UNITAR-UNOSAT ActivationTue, 09 May 2023 16:09

UNITAR-UNOSAT Potentially Damaged Buildings has been activated
Democratic Republic of the Congo - Floods, flash floods and landslide, update (ECHO 10 May 2023)Wed, 10 May 2023 10:11

  • According to UNICEF, at least 422 people have died following floods and flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall on 2-4 May across the Kalehe Territory (South-Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo). The numbers of casualties are likely to increase in the coming days.
  • In addition, almost 5,000 people are missing, 20,000 have been affected, as well as 3,000 houses, of which 1,200 were destroyed, three primary and one secondary schools have been flooded.
  • After this event, on 8 May, a landslide occurred at Songambele locality close to Rubaya City in Masisi Territory in North Kivu Province (north bordering  South-Kivu Province) leading to approximately 100 people being trapped in the debris.
  • Humanitarian partners are involved in the emergency aid response.
  • For the next 24 hours, moderate to heavy rainfall is still forecast across the two affected provinces.
Flood in Democratic Republic of Congo - UNITAR-UNOSAT ActivationWed, 10 May 2023 13:38

UNITAR-UNOSAT Potentially Damaged Buildings has been activated
Democratic Republic of the Congo - Landslide (ECHO 11 May 2023)Thu, 11 May 2023 10:26

  • A new landslide triggered by the heavy rainfall that has been affecting the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo occurred on 10 May in Miringati village (Lubero territory, North Kivu Province) leading to casualties.
  • According to media, at least ten people died and some resulted missing after the event. In addition, following the landslide that occurred in Songambele locality close to Rubaya City (Masisi Territory, North Kivu Province) six people died while others are missing.
  • For the next 24 hours, moderate to heavy rainfall is still forecast across the two affected territories.
Flood in Democratic Republic of Congo - UNITAR-UNOSAT ActivationThu, 11 May 2023 17:28

UNITAR-UNOSAT Potentially Damaged Buildings has been activated
Flood in Democratic Republic of Congo - UNITAR-UNOSAT ActivationFri, 12 May 2023 14:28

UNITAR-UNOSAT Potentially Damaged Buildings has been activated
Tshopo Province, DR Congo, May 2023Rising waters of the Lomami River flooded areas of Isangi in Tshopo Province of DR Congo from early May 2023. Schools were suspended. Local authorities said boats were required to move around the city. Flooding was reportedly the worst since 1997. Lives of residents have been negatively impacted and local markets unable to take place. Isangi Territory has a population of around 800,000. Surrounding areas in particular Kisangani have experienced inter-community conflict in recent weeks.Fri 12 May 2023FloodList provided by Copernicus GloFAS
Detailed event map. European Union, 2024. Map produced by EC-JRC.
The boundaries and the names shown on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the European Union.

Updates on volcanic activity (Smithsonian)

Latest media headlines

Floods in DRC: in Kalehe, the health situation worries health professi.. 5/11/2023 5:06:00 AM.

2023-05-11T03:05:50.297Z. Highlights: A week after the tragedy in Kalehe, the health consequences of the floods are worrying. At least 400 people died as a result of heavy rains that hit the region on May 4th. The balance sheet is not final
...(more)
Rescue work underway in DR Congo 5/11/2023 3:20:00 AM.

Humanitarian aid and supplies from the government arrive in South Kivu on Tuesday, after floods and landslides that hit the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. AUGUSTIN WAMENYA/GETTY IMAGES. Efforts to rescue missing residents and recover
...(more)
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Fatal Floods: What Caused Them,.. 5/10/2023 7:39:00 PM.

Tragedy struck the Democratic Republic of the Congo in May 2023, after more than 400 people lost their lives and over 5,000 were left missing, thanks to a climate change-induced natural disaster . Entire villages were lost in a major flood,
...(more)
Thousands still missing as Congo flood survivors search for relatives 5/10/2023 12:08:00 PM.

Red Cross workers and volunteers gather for a briefing where Congolese civilians were killed following rains that destroyed the remote, mountainous area and ripped through the riverside villages of Nyamukubi, Kalehe territory in South Kivu
...(more)

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Estimated casualties (PAGER)

USGS estimates the number of casualties for each earthquake for the Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) product.
The graph shows the current fatalities estimate.

Exposed population

Data, images, links, services and documents

For this events, GDACS has links to information from the following sources: EC-JRC (36), (2), NASA (4), WMO (1), INFORM (2),