Original Research

When nature frowns: A comprehensive impact assessment of the 2012 Babessi floods on people’s livelihoods in rural Cameroon

Roland A. Balgah, Gertrud Buchenrieder, Innocent N. Mbue
Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies | Vol 7, No 1 | a197 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/jamba.v7i1.197 | © 2015 Roland A. Balgah, Gertrud Buchenrieder, Innocent N. Mbue | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 06 May 2015 | Published: 27 November 2015

About the author(s)

Roland A. Balgah, Department of Agribusiness Technology, University of Bamenda, Cameroon; Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Bamenda University of Science and Technology, Cameroon
Gertrud Buchenrieder, Institute of Agricultural and Nutrition Sciences, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
Innocent N. Mbue, Department of Occupational Hygiene, Safety and Environment, University of Douala, Cameroon

Abstract

Floods are the most common natural disasters worldwide. Much of the growing literature on the impact of floods, especially in developed countries, and to a lesser extent in rural areas of developing countries, concentrates on economic rather than a comprehensive assessment of combined effects on people’s livelihoods. Holistic floods impact assessments are often done long after the shock, raising problems of data reliability following long recall periods, although post-disaster needs assessments when carried out earlier can facilitate appropriate disaster recovery, relief and reconstruction activities. We applied the sustainable livelihoods framework as a comprehensive approach to assess the impacts of the Babessi floods in 2012 on livelihoods in rural (north western region) of Cameroon 6 weeks after the floods. Using a structured questionnaire, data was collected from victims before and after the floods, using recall methods. A matched sample of nonvictims randomly selected from the same village as the victims was used to assess vulnerability to the floods by household type. Floods were found to have serious economic, social, human and food security impacts on victims. Both government and nongovernmental support were jointly crucial for household recovery. Comparatively observed high levels of recovery were attributed to the low loss of human lives. The article concludes with the need for comprehensive approaches to floods impact assessments. The need for combining formal and informal instruments in post-disaster management in rural areas is also emphasised.

Keywords

Floods, comprehensive impact assessment, livelihoods, rural Cameroon

Metrics

Total abstract views: 6755
Total article views: 10709

 

Crossref Citations

1. Enhancing local livelihoods resilience and food security in the face of frequent flooding in Africa: A disaster management perspective
Ngenyam Bang Henry, Miles Lee, Gordon Richard
Journal of African Studies and Development  vol: 10  issue: 7  first page: 85  year: 2018  
doi: 10.5897/JASD2018.0510

2. Integrating Satellite Images and Machine Learning for Flood Prediction and Susceptibility Mapping for the Case of Amibara, Awash Basin, Ethiopia
Gizachew Kabite Wedajo, Tsegaye Demisis Lemma, Tesfaye Fufa, Paolo Gamba
Remote Sensing  vol: 16  issue: 12  first page: 2163  year: 2024  
doi: 10.3390/rs16122163

3. Flooding and poverty: Two interrelated social problems impacting rural development in Tsholotsho district of Matabeleland North province in Zimbabwe
Ernest Dube, Oliver Mtapuri, Jephias Matunhu
Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies  vol: 10  issue: 1  year: 2018  
doi: 10.4102/jamba.v10i1.455

4. Impacts of Floods on Agriculture-Dependent Livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Assessment from Multiple Geo-Ecological Zones
Roland Azibo Balgah, Kester Azibo Ngwa, Gertrud Rosa Buchenrieder, Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi
Land  vol: 12  issue: 2  first page: 334  year: 2023  
doi: 10.3390/land12020334

5. Making decisions after floods: a consistency check of drivers across multiple flood types 
Roland Azibo Balgah, Salliana Ateh Fondo, Theobald Mue Nji
MOJ Ecology & Environmental Sciences  vol: 3  issue: 6  year: 2018  
doi: 10.15406/mojes.2018.03.00119

6. Drivers for coping with flood hazards: Beyond the analysis of single cases
Roland A. Balgah, Henry N. Bang, Salliana A. Fondo
Jàmbá Journal of Disaster Risk Studies  vol: 11  issue: 1  year: 2019  
doi: 10.4102/jamba.v11i1.678

7. Conceptualizing Individual and Household Disaster Preparedness: The Perspective from Cameroon
Emmanuel Nzengung Nojang, Jessica Jensen
International Journal of Disaster Risk Science  vol: 11  issue: 3  first page: 333  year: 2020  
doi: 10.1007/s13753-020-00258-x

8. On crossroads between the right to shelter and looming chances of displacement: Charting towards a resilient and sustainable framework for rural dwellers in flood-prone areas
Tomy Ncube, Raymond Chipfakacha
Development Southern Africa  vol: 40  issue: 1  first page: 152  year: 2023  
doi: 10.1080/0376835X.2021.1980376

9. Africa’s Energy Availability-Deficiency Paradox: Lessons from Small-scale Biogas Technology and Policy Implications
Roland Azibo Balgah, Chama Theodore Ketuama, Martin Ngwa Ngwabie, Hynek Roubík
Environment, Development and Sustainability  vol: 26  issue: 11  first page: 29695  year: 2023  
doi: 10.1007/s10668-023-03810-z

10. The Irony of Flood Risks in African Dryland Environments: Human Security in North Cameroon
Henry Bang, Lee Miles, Richard Gordon
World Journal of Engineering and Technology  vol: 05  issue: 03  first page: 109  year: 2017  
doi: 10.4236/wjet.2017.53B013

11. Impact of flooding on livelihoods and mitigation strategies in selected coastal communities in Akwa Ibom State
Okoibu Otobong, Joseph Udoh, Uduakobong Akpan
Poljoprivredna tehnika  vol: 50  issue: 3  first page: 57  year: 2025  
doi: 10.5937/POLJTEH250357O

12. A Concise Appraisal of Cameroon’s Hazard Risk Profile: Multi-Hazard Inventories, Causes, Consequences and Implications for Disaster Management
Henry Ngenyam Bang
GeoHazards  vol: 3  issue: 1  first page: 55  year: 2022  
doi: 10.3390/geohazards3010004

13. Social protection responses in times of distress in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review and research agenda
Padmore Adusei Amoah, Stefan Kühner, Ayomide Oluwaseyi Oladosu
Journal of Asian Public Policy  first page: 1  year: 2025  
doi: 10.1080/17516234.2025.2502069