Active Sierra Leone · Other
SLE: Pluvial/Flash Flood – 08-2026 – SLE: Flash Flood – 08-2026 – Freetown
Flash flooding struck Freetown, Sierra Leone, on 2026-08-03 after approximately six to seven hours of heavy rain. IFRC GO reports flooded and damaged homes, displacement, fatalities, missing people and contaminated water sources.
What happened
On 2026-08-03, Freetown experienced approximately six to seven hours of continuous heavy rain. IFRC GO says the rainfall caused widespread flash flooding, severe erosion and slope collapses in low-lying and hillside communities.
Reported impact
Preliminary assessments cited by IFRC GO indicate that more than 300 houses were flooded and damaged, forcing hundreds of families from their homes. The retrieved record reports three confirmed fatalities and two children missing, while no injuries had been officially confirmed.
Water and infrastructure
IFRC GO reports that eight community boreholes used for drinking water were contaminated by floodwater and declared unsafe. It also records severe erosion at Femi Turner Drive, where three vehicles were washed away after a perimeter wall collapsed.
Response
The National Disaster Management Agency, SLRCS and other partners deployed field teams for search and rescue operations and preliminary assessments in affected communities. This response is attributed to those organizations; it is not described as GlobeRedCross activity.
What remains uncertain
The housing and displacement figures were preliminary in the retrieved IFRC GO record, and search operations for the two missing children were continuing at the time described by the source.
Updates
IFRC GO records this as the flood’s event date.
Sources
Original links used for this update. External organizations remain responsible for their own reporting.
- IFRC GOAug 3, 2026