On the early morning of 3 August 2026, Freetown experienced approximately six to seven hours of continuous heavy rainfall, resulting in widespread flash flooding, severe erosion, and slope collapse incidents across several low-lying and hillside communities. The incidents caused significant damage to homes and infrastructure, displaced hundreds of people, resulted in fatalities and missing persons, and contaminated critical water sources.
\nThe National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), together with SLRCS and other partners, immediately deployed field teams to conduct search and rescue operations and preliminary assessments in the affected communities
\nThe heavy rain fall resulted in significant humanitarian impacts across several communities, particularly in Portor Community, Juba, Metchem Community, and Femi Turner Drive. Preliminary assessments indicate that more than 300 houses were flooded and damaged forcing hundreds of families to leave their homes and resulting in the loss of household belongings and livelihoods.
\nThe incident also resulted in three confirmed fatalities after a compound wall collapsed during the heavy rains, killing a five-year-old girl, her mother, and grandmother. Additionally, two children remain missing, with search and rescue operations continuing, no injuries has been officially confirmed.
\nCritical infrastructure was also affected. Eight community boreholes, which serve as the main source of drinking water, were contaminated by floodwaters and declared unsafe for consumption, increasing the risk of waterborne disease outbreaks. Further damage was recorded at Femi Turner Drive, where severe erosion caused the collapse of a perimeter wall, resulting in three vehicles being washed away.
","summary":"SLE: Pluvial/Flash Flood - 08-2026 - SLE: Flash Flood - 08-2026 - Freetown ","translation_module_original_language":"en"}],"hide_attached_field_reports":false,"hide_field_report_map":false,"updated_at":"2026-08-03T20:33:35.226027Z","id":8045,"slug":null,"tab_one_title":"Additional Information","ifrc_severity_level":0,"ifrc_severity_level_display":"Yellow","ifrc_severity_level_update_date":null,"parent_event":null,"glide":"","featured_documents":[],"links":[],"emergency_response_contact_email":null,"countries_for_preview":[],"response_activity_count":0,"visibility":3,"active_deployments":0,"summary":"On the early morning of 3 August 2026, Freetown experienced approximately six to seven hours of continuous heavy rainfall, resulting in widespread flash flooding, severe erosion, and slope collapse incidents across several low-lying and hillside communities. The incidents caused significant damage to homes and infrastructure, displaced hundreds of people, resulted in fatalities and missing persons, and contaminated critical water sources.
\nThe National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), together with SLRCS and other partners, immediately deployed field teams to conduct search and rescue operations and preliminary assessments in the affected communities
\nThe heavy rain fall resulted in significant humanitarian impacts across several communities, particularly in Portor Community, Juba, Metchem Community, and Femi Turner Drive. Preliminary assessments indicate that more than 300 houses were flooded and damaged forcing hundreds of families to leave their homes and resulting in the loss of household belongings and livelihoods.
\nThe incident also resulted in three confirmed fatalities after a compound wall collapsed during the heavy rains, killing a five-year-old girl, her mother, and grandmother. Additionally, two children remain missing, with search and rescue operations continuing, no injuries has been officially confirmed.
\nCritical infrastructure was also affected. Eight community boreholes, which serve as the main source of drinking water, were contaminated by floodwaters and declared unsafe for consumption, increasing the risk of waterborne disease outbreaks. Further damage was recorded at Femi Turner Drive, where severe erosion caused the collapse of a perimeter wall, resulting in three vehicles being washed away.
","name":"SLE: Pluvial/Flash Flood - 08-2026 - SLE: Flash Flood - 08-2026 - Freetown ","translation_module_original_language":"en"}