UN reports that about 623,000 people have been forced to leave their homes by widespread flooding in South Sudan since May.

According to the report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), rivers broke their banks following heavy rains, filling houses and farms in eight of the country’s 10 states.

The worst-hit states are Jonglei and Unity states, representing 58 percent of those affected.

While some families from these states have been able to flee to the capital, Juba, others have set up makeshift camps along highways, grabbing what few possessions they could from the ruins of their homes.

The emergency response team adds that the flooding has worsened the already hard living conditions in the region, with more than two-thirds of the affected areas now facing the risk of hunger as food prices shoot up, recording a 15-percent jump since August.

“Schools, homes, health facilities and water sources were inundated, impacting people’s access to basic services,

“Physical access remained a major challenge for humanitarian organizations to assess and respond to the needs of flood-affected people,” the briefing note read.