Disasters in Guinea-Bissau

Flooding and coastal hazards are the most significant practical disaster risks in Guinea-Bissau. Low-lying coastal and island areas, Bissau, Cacheu, Biombo, Quinara, Tombali, Bafatá, Gabú and Oio are exposed to different combinations of river flooding, intense rainfall, storm surge, coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion. Drought, heat, windstorms and tornadoes also recur. Urban fires affect densely settled areas. Earthquakes and tsunamis have not been established as priority local risks in the available national assessment. Law No. 10/2020 provides the legal framework for disaster risk management, including prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and the declaration of an estado de calamidade or estado de emergência. The National Platform for Disaster Risk Management was established in 2017. The Serviço Nacional de Proteção Civil, known as SNPC, is the main national emergency body, especially after disasters. Prevention and risk reduction are shared across several ministries and agencies. The 2013 National Strategy for Catastrophe Risk Reduction is outdated and was not approved; a new national strategic plan for disaster risk reduction and emergency preparedness is being prepared. The Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia publishes Portuguese-language weather, rainfall and heat alerts and forecasts through meteoguinebissau.gw, SNPC channels and local communication. It is listed by the World Meteorological Organization as the national alerting authority and uses CAP-RSS, a technical format for distributing public alerts. Guinea-Bissau does not yet have a fully integrated national multi-hazard warning system or a reliable nationwide climate and weather data network. Community warning systems and last-mile communication are still being developed, so people may receive warnings through local authorities, community leaders, radio, the SNPC or the Red Cross Society of Guinea-Bissau. During an acute emergency, contact the SNPC through 911 or the Green Line 911 851. The published SNPC numbers are +245 95 5505011 and +245 96 5505011, with offices on Avenida Unidade Africana in Bissau. Local administrations, the national fire service and the Red Cross Society of Guinea-Bissau also assist. The Red Cross Society is an auxiliary to public authorities and has 11 branches, 52 local units and 2,672 volunteers. Emergency assistance may also involve WFP, United Nations agencies, ECOWAS and other humanitarian partners. Public disaster assistance is not a universal automatic payment. Access usually depends on the affected area, a damage and needs assessment, household vulnerability, programme funding and the selection process used by the government, United Nations agencies or implementing partners. Women, children, people with disabilities and other vulnerable households may receive priority. Assistance has included food, household items, corrugated roofing sheets, mattresses, mosquito nets, water and sanitation support, agricultural inputs and cash. After the 2024 floods, more than 6,400 vulnerable households in Bafatá, Biombo, Bissau, Cacheu, Gabú, Oio, Quinara and Tombali received a programme payment of 40,000 XOF per month for three months, or 120,000 XOF per household, for households of up to seven people. The 2022 floods affected or displaced about 11,000 households in nine communities. Rehabilitation included about 9,390 metres of protective dikes and drainage, water regulators and support for 550 hectares of rice fields. The 2018 windstorm affected 11,541 people, destroyed 420 houses, killed three people and displaced 800 people. These figures show why shelter, food, water and sanitation, livelihoods and agricultural recovery remain central after an event. Formal evacuation paths, assembly points and nationwide emergency shelters have not been sufficiently published to establish a guaranteed arrangement for every locality. During immediate danger, contact the SNPC, local administration or a Red Cross branch and follow locally issued instructions. Individual evacuation or accommodation cannot be assumed. Recovery may take months or years and can include cash assistance, agricultural inputs, repaired drainage, dikes, bridges, schools, water systems and livelihood support. Coastal protection remains incomplete; mangroves provide natural protection, but protection and restoration rules are not yet sufficient. Roads and bridges, fishing jetties, coastal buildings, schools, drainage systems, electricity and communications are exposed. Projected additional climate damage to roads and bridges for 2031 to 2050 has been estimated at about USD 20 to 25 million per year. Weak maintenance, poor designs and damaged or insufficient monitoring networks increase the risk that one event will disrupt transport, services and communication beyond the directly flooded area. National disaster risk reduction financing is more than 95 percent donor-funded, and Guinea-Bissau has no dedicated national disaster fund identified in the available research.