Somalia floods kill 50 people, nearly 700,000 displaced: Disaster agency

According to a government official, Somalia’s death toll from flash flooding brought on by torrential rains has increased to 50, and nearly 700,000 people have been evicted from their homes.

The country’s plight is anticipated to get worse as more torrential rains begin on Tuesday, he said.

At a news conference on Monday, Mohamud Moalim Abdullahi, the director of the Somali Disaster Management Agency, stated that “Fifty people died in the disaster… while 687, 235 people were forced to flee their homes.”

“The anticipated rains between November 21 and 24… may cause more flooding, which could result in death and destruction.”

Numerous people have been killed and large-scale displacement has been brought on by the El Nino weather phenomenon in the Horn of Africa, including in Somalia, where the rains have flooded residential areas and destroyed bridges.

More than 1.7 million people are in “urgent need,” the International Rescue Committee said in a statement on Monday, adding that the floods and torrential rains have had “catastrophic” effects on hundreds of thousands of people who have lost their homes, properties, or their animals and crops.

The aid organization added, “This will worsen the already dire humanitarian situation, where 4.3 million people, or a quarter of the population, are expected to experience crisis-level hunger or worse by the end of 2023.” Above-normal rainfall is anticipated to persist through the year’s end.

According to NGO World Vision, the recent floods have destroyed homes, schools, and roads, leaving kids without access to basic necessities like food, shelter, or water.

“For children, the floods have made life very challenging. Children and their families have been forced to flee their homes due to the ongoing flooding, and some of them are now taking refuge in improvised buildings outside. They are more susceptible to illness as they move, according to Kevin Mackey, the organization’s director for Somalia, who released a statement on Monday.

The number of people displaced in Somalia by torrential rain and flooding “has nearly doubled in one week,” according to the UN’s OCHA on Saturday.

Additionally, OCHA reported that damage to roads, bridges, and airstrips in a number of locations has hindered supply and human movement and raised the cost of basic goods.

Flash flooding forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia, according to the British charity Save the Children on Thursday. More than 100 people had died, including 16 children.

Extreme weather events are happening more frequently and with greater intensity in the Horn of Africa, one of the areas most susceptible to climate change.

After several unsuccessful rainy seasons that left millions of people in need and destroyed crops and livestock, the area is recovering from its worst drought in forty years.

Given that El Nino is anticipated to last until at least April 2024, humanitarian organizations have issued a warning that the situation is only likely to get worse and have urged immediate global intervention.