BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • BBC Trending

Houston floods, but what about all the other disasters?

  • Published
    30 August 2017
Share page
About sharing
Abdul Mansaray cleaning his houseImage source, Olivia Acland
Image caption,

Abdul Mansaray cut a hole in the roof to escape the Sierra Leone mudslide with his family

Georgina Rannard
BBC UGC and Social News

When is a disaster not a disaster? When it takes place in certain parts of the world, according to some people on social media.

As Storm Harvey threatens Louisiana and leaves heavy floods across parts of Texas, thousands of people affected by disasters in Asia and Africa have also been tweeting and sharing pictures of their experiences.

But news outlets have focussed headlines and bulletins largely on the disaster in the US, prompting accusations from social media users of giving disproportionate attention to stories about wealthier countries.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post by Marcel Dirsus

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post by Marcel Dirsus

"I hate that global media can be so swayed to do almost constant coverage of the tragedy in Texas with less than 1% of the same time dedicated to floods in India where 1,200 people have died and millions displaced," Samuel Onyemelukwe, from Nigeria, wrote in an email to the BBC.

South Asia

Media caption,

Tens of thousands were stranded as the city ground to a halt

Monsoon rain is causing devastation in parts of India, Bangladesh and Nepal, affecting 16 million people. Aid agencies are calling the floods one of the worst regional humanitarian crises in years.

On Tuesday, people in the city of Mumbai, India, tweeted about floods creating waist-deep water and widespread chaos, and killing at least five people including two toddlers.

Almost 400,000 tweets were sent with hashtags #MumbaiFloods and #MumbaiRains to share photographs, give advice, and offer shelter, and footage of flooding at Mulund Railway Station to the north-east of the city was also captured.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 2 by MumBaekar..

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 2 by MumBaekar..

Some highlighted acts of kindness, including by a man who handed out biscuits to bus travellers and told them not to worry about the floods.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 3 by Kritika Rai

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 3 by Kritika Rai

"Here in Mumbai, a friend stuck in a car to the airport for five hours told me that slum dwellers came out to serve stranded people tea and biscuits," wrote Anand Mahindra, CEO of the Mahindra Group, the massive global conglomerate headquartered in the city. His tweet, external was retweeted more than 5,000 times.

line

You might also like

  • Sierra Leone mudslide: 'I lost everything'

  • The fake news about Hurricane Harvey

  • Torrential rain leaves Istanbul awash

line

In Bihar state, bordering Nepal, more than 500 people have died in flooding.

"While Mumbai suffers in the rain, let's pause to remember: more than 500 dead and counting in Bihar," journalist Rajdeep Sardesai wrote in a tweet, external that was liked 3,000 times and retweeted 2,000 times.

Africa

A man rides a motorbike with his belongings in a flooded street of Niamey following heavy rains, on June 15, 2017.Image source, AFP
Image caption,

Niamey, the capital of Niger, has seen heavy rains since June

Relief efforts are continuing in Sierra Leone after a mudslide two weeks ago buried hundreds of people. At least 499 people died and people continue to search for victims.

Meanwhile, more than 40 people have been killed by flooding since June in Niger.

One man in Sierra Leone told the BBC how he broke a hole into his ceiling so his wife and children could climb out to escape.

"Pray for Sierra Leone, too," asked lawyer Qasim Rashid in a tweet last night that was liked almost 3,000 times.

Qasim Rashid asked people on Twitter to 'pray for Sierra Leone' too after mud slides killed over 1000 people.Image source, @MuslimIQ

Mimi Mvakali from South Africa said she hated to compare disasters, external, but "the world easily turns a blind eye when it's Africa."

And others are drawing attention to ongoing crises in Yemen, Iraq and Syria that they feel are not being appropriately covered.

"I have relatives in Houston badly affected. I'm also thinking of Yemen and other countries across the world," commented, external British activist Clare Hepworth.

But some suggested that a hierarchy of disasters should not be created.

"Be it Syria, Sierra Leona, or Houston, people will grieve differently. People choose what affects them. Empathy can never be controlled," wrote, external @Tichaade.

More on this story

  • Toddlers killed in Mumbai floods

    • Published
      30 August 2017
    A man wades through flood water in Mumbai
  • Niger floods force thousands from homes

    • Published
      29 August 2017
    A man rides a motorbike with his belongings in a flooded street of Niamey following heavy rains, on June 15, 2017.
  • 'How I saved my brothers and sisters'

    • Published
      23 August 2017
    Mbalu Bangura at Kaningo school collecting emergency supplies

Top stories

  • Live. 

    Ukraine will not give up land, Zelensky says as Trump plans to meet Putin

    • 7560 viewing7.6k viewing
  • Israel rejects international criticism of Gaza City takeover plan

    • Published
      13 hours ago
  • 'People are angry': Behind the wave of asylum hotel protests

    • Published
      10 hours ago

More to explore

  • Prince Andrew book seals his fate for any return

    Prince Andrew, head and shoulders, April 2025
  • 'JD Vance sends warning to UK' and 'Scam by me'

    A composite image of the front pages of the i Paper and the Sun on 9 August 2025
  • 'People are angry': Behind the wave of asylum hotel protests

    Protesters at Canary Wharf
  • Nasa Apollo missions: Stories of the last Moon men

    Harrison Schmitt is photographed next to the United States flag on the lunar surface during the Apollo 17 mission. The highest part of the flag appears to point toward our planet Earth in the distant background. Its red and white stripes are also reflected in the visor of Schmitt's helmet.
  • 'An escape from feeling lonely': The Seoul 'convenience stores' fighting isolation

    A lively and colorful pedestrian street in Seoul, filled with vibrant crosswalk designs, unique shops, and bustling activity. A woman stands in the middle of a zebra crossing in a winter jacket carrying the sign 'escape room, half price'
  • What we know about Israel's plan to take over Gaza City

    Palestinians hold out pots and bowls, jostling to reach the front of a line as they await meals distributed by aid groups in Gaza City
  • US shrugs off Gaza escalation - drifting further away from allies

    US President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives for a meeting at the West Wing of the White House
  • Big Mags: The paedophile-hunting granny who built a heroin empire

    Mags Haney outside her home in the Raploch talking to two police officers. The photo from the mid 1990s shows Haney with short bleached blond hair and big earrings. She is wearing a pink cardigan and and orange t-shirt. A number of locals are standing around watching the scene
  • Summer Essential: Your family’s guide to the summer, delivered to your inbox every Tuesday

    concentric circles ranging from orange to yellow to represent the sun, with a blue sky background
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    'People are angry': Behind the wave of asylum hotel protests

  2. 2

    Prince Andrew book seals his fate for any return

  3. 3

    'JD Vance sends warning to UK' and 'Scam by me'

  4. 4

    Faith, family and fishing - the unlikely bond between JD Vance and David Lammy

  5. 5

    Elon Musk's AI accused of making explicit AI Taylor Swift videos

  6. 6

    'Are we not working class enough?' Students divided on civil service internship reform

  7. 7

    Jim Lovell, Apollo 13 astronaut, dies aged 97

  8. 8

    Is super skinny back? UK sees rise in complaints over thin models in adverts

  9. 9

    Woman dies after lifeboat rescues her from sea

  10. 10

    Israel rejects international criticism of Gaza City takeover plan

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Your latest reality TV obsession has landed on iPlayer

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Destination X
  • Jacob Elordi stars in explosive war drama

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    The Narrow Road to the Deep North
  • Inside the front-line fight against cybercriminals

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Panorama: Fighting Cyber Criminals
  • A rare glimpse into the world of rope access

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Our Lives: High Stakes
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.