I've seen how perilous life in Sierra Leone can be. We cannot ignore this disaster| Hannah Mitchell

As the weather gets more extreme, the poorest suffer the most. As well as helping the mudslide's survivors, we must face up to the effects of climate change o Hannah Mitchell is a doctor who has been working in Sierra Leone"We have lost everything," my friend cried as we talked on the phone. I had last seen her the week before, after returning home after a year working as a doctor in Sierra Leone. She described water suddenly rushing through her house in the early hours of Monday. With her five children she managed to escape on to the roof, where she waited to be rescued. The flood took all of their possessions, apart from the clothes they wore. And she was one of the lucky ones.Estimates of those who have perished in the mudslide and flash flooding that hit Freetown on Monday put the number at more than a thousand. As the enormous mudslide from Sugar Loaf mountain tore through Regent, the people sleeping had no chance: 400 corpses have already been retrieved by rescue teams; 109 of them were children. There are more than 600 people still missing. The Red Cross, which is working tirelessly at the scene of the disaster, estimates about 3,000 people are homeless. Continue reading...