A JOINT team of experts from the Sudanese government, UN relief agencies and NGOs left on Tuesday for the central Sudan Sennar State, to assess the situation after days of heavy rains and storms. High waters of the Blue Nile have already inundated a number of villages in Sennar State, where 500 homes and numerous farms were lost, causing millions of dollars in damage, according to official sources. Another team is expected to leave by helicopter to the northern flood-hit River Nile State, to assess the needed relief prior to an appeal for assistance, the agency quoted the government Humanitarian Aid commission (HAC) as saying. – AFP