E. African Countries Hit Hard By Floods

Areas that experienced severe drought for several months beginning late last year are now suffering deadly flooding caused by abnormally heavy seasonal rains.

Flash floods from overflowing rivers have killed nearly 1,000 people and displaced about 120,000 in parts of Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia this month.

The Ethiopian government and humanitarian agencies asked for $27 million in aid Friday for nearly 200,000 people affected by the flooding.

"The current devastating flood problem is the worst that has been observed in a generation," said Simon Mechale, the head of Ethiopia's disaster agency.

Cyclical rains have been exacerbated by winds coming from the Indian and Atlantic Oceans and weather systems off the northwest coast of Africa, experts say.

"Depending on the surface temperatures over these oceans, the winds that blow from those areas can be extremely moisture-laden," said Peter Ambenje, assistant director for forecasting at Kenya's Meteorological Department.

Rains drenching Ethiopia's highlands have made rivers overflow, causing flooding in the south and east of the country as well as in Sudan, aid agencies said.

"It's the rainfall on the Ethiopian highlands that is the principal cause of this flooding," said Steve Penny, coordinator for flood relief for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. "It's a very, very worrying situation."

Aid agencies say more rivers are likely to overflow as heavy rains are expected to continue for another month. Floods have killed at least 27 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Sudan, threatening government ministries and the Republican Palace in Khartoum.