### Floods in Kalehe: a warning cry for resilience and assistance
The recent floods that have occurred in the territory of Kalehe, in South Kivu, raise crucial questions both on the immediate impacts and on long-term prevention and assistance measures. According to reports, heavy rains from May 10 to 11 caused significant material damage, carrying houses and cultures. The appeal to assistance launched by Delphin Birimbi, president of the coordination office of the territorial consultation framework of the Kalehe civil society, highlights the distress of families affected by this catastrophe.
###Ring considerable damage
The figures put forward by Mr. BIRIMBI are alarming: eleven destroyed houses, 51 other damaged, as well as affected schools and churches. The loss of agricultural products also represents a blow for food security in the region. These events reveal an often ignored reality: rural communities, already vulnerable, can see their situation deteriorate quickly to natural disasters.
Behind these statistics hide individual stories. Families finding themselves under the stars, exposed to bad weather, and faced with the uncertainty of their future. This raises the question of the efficiency and speed of government assistance in the event of a claim. What are the ways to consider to guarantee appropriate and rapid help for victims?
#### A complex environmental and socio-economic context
Floods, a natural event in itself, have an even more serious dimension in a context where environmental factors such as deforestation, unregulated urbanization and climate change exacerbate risks. The regions of South Kivu, rich in biodiversity, nevertheless undergo significant pressures on their ecosystems. Environmental deterioration can increase the frequency and intensity of bad weather, making communities even more vulnerable.
It is also relevant to look at the local infrastructure. To what extent were constructions in this region designed to deal with such events? What practices could be implemented to strengthen the resilience of communities in the face of natural disasters? Improved drainage systems, awareness campaigns and better urban planning appear as potentially beneficial measures.
#### Calls for assistance and reflection on resilience
The alert cry launched by Mr. Birimbi should not only be limited to an immediate assistance request. He invites a wider reflection on the resilience of communities in the face of increasingly frequent climatic events. How can assistance strategies evolve to not only respond to emergency, but also prevent future disasters?
Certain initiatives, under the aegis of non -governmental organizations and government agencies, try to answer this question. They aim to strengthen risks awareness, encourage community cooperation and promote the implementation of preventive measures. Lessons learned from past events must be integrated into action plans, in order to build a more resilient society.
#### A way to collective engagement
As often in these situations, solutions are not only based on government or NGOs. They require collective mobilization, involving the communities themselves in the search for sustainable solutions. What local initiatives could be set up to better prepare for such disasters? How can the various actors, including private players and local organizations, contribute to better risk management?
Kalehe’s floods should not become a news item. They must lead everyone to reflect on the importance of a cooperation framework to improve crisis management and promote sustainability. Because beyond immediate assistance, the real question is how to build a society capable of resisting storms of nature. A collective reflection is essential to transform these events into learning and improvement opportunities.