Guinea Miscellaneous Areas

Guinea is a country affected by reoccurring floods primarily during the rainy season between April and October, with the heaviest rainfalls occurring in June due to the presence of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). These heavy rainfalls often pose issues in urbanized areas as the cities lack the proper infrastructure to evacuate the standing water quickly. This issue is compounded by the lack of urban planning as well as the existing organic and easily erodible structures of the impoverished population. It is important to note that while flooding is the most common and overall most destructive hazard within Guinea, there is also a low seismic hazard for the coastal and northwestern portions of the country. In upper Guinea, catastrophic flooding is common where an average of 50,000-69,000 people are affected each year. The floods of 2011 resulted in significant damages to both property and normal life. 16,143 individuals were affected, including more than 4,000 left homeless. Important infrastructure was also damaged with 212 wells and 542 latrines flooded, which contributes to the spread of communicable diseases. While widespread, the events of the 2011 season were significantly less than the normal averages. The consistency of flooding in these regions also begs for improved infrastructure and housing to limit the amount of devastation Guineans living in the region face.