Disasters in Cameroon

Flooding is highly relevant across Cameroon, especially in the Littoral, Centre, North and Far North regions. Drought, heat, desertification and related livestock and agricultural losses are particularly serious in the North and Far North. The Adamawa and Western Highlands face landslides and seismic or volcanic risks. The Southwest coast and rainforest areas face intense rainfall, flooding, erosion and mass movement. Urban areas are exposed when drainage, buildings, roads and other infrastructure cannot handle heavy rainfall or rapid runoff. Cameroon's national civil protection system includes the Direction de la Protection Civile (DPC), which coordinates prevention, studies, training, assistance requests and monitoring of aid. The Corps National de Sapeurs-Pompiers (CNSP), under MINDEF, responds to fires and disasters, protects people and property, provides first aid and conducts safety education and evacuation exercises. The Direction de la Météorologie Nationale issues five-day, daily numerical weather, drought, climate, impact and weather-warning bulletins. ONACC publishes ten-day climate alerts and seasonal forecasts. Local authorities, Collectivités Territoriales Décentralisées, prefects and traditional authorities carry out local measures. CAPC-AC and the ECCAS Situation Room in Douala support regional multi-hazard information exchange. Warnings may be distributed through television, radio, internet services, posters and administrative notices. A nationwide standardized system of sirens, mass text messages, evacuation routes, assembly points and emergency shelters has not been reliably verified in the available national sources. People should follow official warnings, avoid dangerous areas, report urgent risks and comply with instructions to leave an area. Emergency numbers listed by MINAT and CNSP are 118 for fire and rescue, 119 for medical assistance and 117 for police; 118 is free of charge, and the public emergency numbers are generally presented as free services. Preparedness commonly includes hazard and risk maps, monitoring, community participation, training, emergency plans and evacuation exercises. Local capacity is uneven, so practical arrangements may differ between cities, rural communities and regions. The Nyos and Monoun crater lakes illustrate a rare but severe hazard: dissolved carbon dioxide can escape from deep lake water and suffocate people and animals. Controlled degassing has been documented since 2001 at Nyos and since 2003 at Monoun, but monitoring and local communication remain necessary. This hazard is distinct from ordinary volcanic activity, and no general direct equivalent for other crater lakes has been established in the available research. People affected by a disaster, known locally as sinistrés, can approach the local administrative authority or prefecture and the MINAT-DPC for assistance or financial-aid requests. The DPC reviews requests for indemnisation or financial assistance, organizes relief and tracks and controls how aid is used. Food, materials and other support depend on the event and the authorities involved. No nationwide fixed compensation amount, universal eligibility catalogue, standard filing deadline or uniform processing time has been verified. Individual compensation should therefore not be assumed to be automatic. The state carries responsibilities for protection, coordination, emergency action, recovery and reconstruction. Local authorities and traditional authorities are expected to consider local needs and vulnerabilities. Recovery is financed through public budgets and external donors. Between 2018 and 2023, approximately USD 35 million in internal risk-reduction and recovery funds supported affected people, resettlement, infrastructure rehabilitation, relocation houses, water points, the Logone-Digue and riverbank works. Earlier donor funding was heavily concentrated on emergency response: about 98.4% went to response and only about 0.4% to reconstruction and rehabilitation from 2015 to 2017. Flood losses are concentrated in housing, transport, agriculture and public services, which together represent about 90% of recorded sector losses. Dams and riverbank works, drainage, roads, water points and public services require particular attention. The Lagdo Dam and Logone-Digue are risk-relevant systems, but nationally published site-specific operating and evacuation rules have not been verified. From July to September 2024, reported disasters affected about 460,000 people, killed 38 people, damaged or destroyed 56,084 houses, affected 5,510 livestock and damaged about 5,510 hectares of agricultural land.