150,000 people lost their homes in Ouaga during the floods. It can be tough to wrap your head around such large numbers. For perspective, Tempe, Tallahessee, Chattanooga, Fort Lauderdale are US cities with 150,000 people. Imagine if everyone there were homeless. You've doubtless seen video of the Katrina aftermath. Well, Katrina left 60,000 homeless. Total rainfall Sept 1st was 10.5 inches. Katrina dropped 6-9 inches of rain on the gulf coast. More rain fell by noon Sept 1st, than fell in any month this year. The city simply couldn't cope.
It seems that pretty much all NGOs in Ouaga are doing their part, but I can't find where to donate specifically for this disaster, except on the Catholic Relief Services site: http://crs.org/burkina-faso/ouagadougou-floods/. From what I saw when I was living in Baraboulé, CRS does great work.
UPDATE: this site, www.africanfamily.org, is another option. they're buying local supplies, which i like.
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