One of the worst flooding disasters in Africa has displaced thousands of residents in Sierra Leone and brought the death toll close to 500. Flooding in the area resulted in a landslide last week when a side of Mount Sugar Loaf collapsed on Monday, according to Al Jazeera.

On Sunday, the death toll stood firmly at 450 while 600 residents were still reported missing. Rescue officials state that the chances of finding survivors is only decreasing with time. 461 bodies have been buried in a nearby cemetery while 10,000 people have been ordered to evacuate on top of the original 10,000 that already have.

Due to the sudden nature of the disaster, there is still noticeable disorganization among the services for the people most affected. For example, a shelter for the displaced is yet to be opened and the only food being dispersed is milk and bread.

“We are hungry, we have nowhere to sleep, and we’ve lost our precious families,” community chief Falma Sylla said.

Regions of Africa have been dealing with an increasing number of landslides due to deforestation, population growth and rainfall.

Sadly, there has been little coverage of the disaster on American news outlets due to the ongoing coverage of the President* Trump and the white supremacist marches happening all over the country recently. Hopefully, more publications will turn their attention to this critically important issue in the coming days. And, even more importantly, we hope to see major powers step in to support the people who have had their lives displaced or lost due to this tremendously catastrophic event.