AFRICA/SENEGAL - The rains have caused severe damage to church structures in Mbour; controversy over the lack of relief

Dakar (Agenzia Fides) - Torrential rains have devastated Senegal in recent days and damaged the home and the school of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception and the church of Santa Marta in Mbour, 80 km south of the capital, Dakar. According to information from the Church in Senegal, sent to Agenzia Fides, it was impossible to celebrate Sunday Mass due to the heavy rains.
The home and the school of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception were severely damaged, due to the fact that they had already suffered the consequences of the previous flood in August. Material damage is enormous.
According to "Seneglise", this year’s rains have been exceptional, but the nuns complain about the bad canalization works that have made the situation worse, not better. Indeed, even the nearby fire station was flooded by water and firefighters were unable to intervene promptly to provide relief to the population. Only the youth of the neighborhood intervened, but it was not possible to contain the damage to the church of Santa Marta.
Floods are a recurring plague in Senegal. According to the local press, the responsibility of the worsening of the phenomenon is to be shared between the government, which carried out the works of canalization, and the people who built homes along the courses of the flow of water. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 11/09/2015)