Alarming Report: Over Six Years, 20,000 Children Per Day Uprooted by Devastating Floods, Storms, and Fires, UNICEF Reveals

Between 2016 and 2021, floods, storms, droughts, and wildfires have forced over 43 million children to leave their homes, as revealed by recent data from UNICEF. This equates to an alarming average of 20,000 children being displaced each day, as a direct consequence of climate change-driven extreme weather events. The study further highlights that flooding and storms are responsible for a staggering 95% of all recorded child displacements, while the remaining cases are attributed to droughts and wildfires.

UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell emphasized the sheer terror experienced by children when their community is engulfed by a ferocious wildfire, storm, or flood. According to UNICEF, this report marks a significant milestone as it is the first of its kind focusing on children affected by weather-related disasters. The organization's statement further reveals that up until now, these children had been overlooked in statistical data.

In East Asia and the Pacific, the impact has been significant. Cyclone Amphan in 2020 resulted in the displacement of 1.5 million children in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Bhutan. Similarly, in 2021, Typhoon Rai caused 1.5 million child displacements in the Philippines, Palau, and Vietnam.

When considering the total number of displacements, three countries stood out: the Philippines, India, and China. Over a six-year period, these countries saw a staggering total of 23 million children forced to leave their homes and schools.

Due to their location and geography, these countries are highly susceptible to floods and storms, which are projected to become more severe due to the increasing climate crisis. Nevertheless, the report highlights that all three nations have proactive evacuation plans in place, enabling children to be relocated prior to a disaster occurring. This proactive approach may explain the higher rates of displacements.

Children carry clean drinking water following flash flooding in southern Sindh province, Pakistan on August 31, 2022.

Shakeel Ahmed/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

People rescued from a flooded neighborhood after it was inundated with rain water, remnants of Hurricane Harvey, on August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas.

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In terms of the proportion of children displaced relative to the population size, a contrasting scenario unfolds. As a result of the 2017 Hurricane Maria's destruction, the small Caribbean island nation of Dominica experienced a staggering displacement of 76% of its child population over the span of six years.

The report revealed that South Sudan and Somalia had the highest percentage of child displacement due to flooding, with 11% and 12% respectively. It also highlighted that both nations have inadequate evacuation plans, exposing children to greater vulnerability.

On the other hand, drought in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan has forced more than 1.3 million children to flee their homes. However, these numbers are expected to be underestimated due to limited data on slow-onset disasters such as drought, the report emphasized.

On January 12, 2023, in the village of El Gel, Ethiopia, a cloud of dust envelops as children and women hurriedly run. Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya are currently facing the worst drought in forty years, resulting from the failure of the last five rainy seasons since the end of 2020.

Eduardo Soteras/AFP/Getty Images

Wildfires in the US and Canada have also led to child displacement, and they are likely to cause larger-scale displacements in the future, the report found.

The fear and consequences for those compelled to flee can be particularly devastating, as they worry about whether they will be able to return home, continue their education, or be forced to relocate again. Moving may have saved their lives, but it also brings significant disruption, said UNICEF's Russell.

The report discovered that whether displacement is temporary or enduring, it increases the vulnerability of children to exploitation, trafficking, and abuse. Furthermore, it exposes them to malnutrition, illness, and insufficient immunization.

The situation is on the verge of deteriorating further, as the accelerating human-caused climate crisis continues to amplify the severity and frequency of extreme weather events. The report cites research indicating that with every additional 1 degree Celsius of warming, the global risks of displacement due to flooding are projected to increase by 50%.

"We have the tools and knowledge to respond to this escalating challenge for children, but we are acting far too slowly,"Russell said.