Liberia declares state of emergency as caterpillar plague wrecks crops

[DogPoundPup]

Liberia has declared a state of emergency over a plague of caterpillars that has destroyed plants and crops and contaminated water supplies, threatening an already fragile food situation.

Tens of millions of marching caterpillars have invaded at least 80 towns and villages in central and northern Liberia, preventing some farmers from reaching their fields and causing others to flee their homes. The inch-long pests – the caterpillar life stage of the noctuid moth – have spread to neighbouring Guinea and are threatening Sierra Leone, which has set up monitoring teams along its border.

Liberia's president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, said in a televised speech on Monday night that the country's worst plague of caterpillars in three decades had "the potential to set back our progress in the production of food and export crops".

She appealed to the international community for financial and logistical help in dealing with the problem, which her government said could cause tens of thousands of people to go hungry. The UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), whose experts are working out the best way to contain the invasion, has described the situation as a "national emergency" that carries regional food, health and environmental risks.

more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/27/caterpillars-spark-liberia-state-of-emergency

[Taverner]

1. Is it me or does it seem as if Liberia never catches a break?