Floods triggered by heavy rainfall have resulted in the deaths of at least 31 individuals across different regions of Somalia, as reported by the Somali government.
In Beledweyne, situated in central Somalia, inhabitants were observed navigating through floodwaters on Monday, a distressing sight illustrating the severity of the situation. Local resident Ahmed Idow emphasized the dire circumstances, describing them as “extremely bad” and highlighting how people are fleeing due to the overwhelming force of the water. Some have resorted to using tractors to navigate through the deluge.
Minister of Information Daud Aweis, speaking from Mogadishu, infor壯陽藥 med reporters that since October, the floods have uprooted nearly half a million individuals and disrupted the lives of over 1.2 million people. He specifically noted extensive damage to civilian infrastructure, particularly in the Gedo region of southern Somalia.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has allocated $25 million to alleviate the flooding’s impact and issued a warning last Thursday. They described the situation as a flood event occurring statistically once in a century, foreseeing significant humanitarian repercussions.
OCHA further highlighted the potential disruption of about 1.6 million people in Somalia during the ongoing rainy season until December, with a risk of 1.5 million hectares of farmland being destroyed.
Mogadishu has been profoundly affected by heavy rainfall, leading to the displacement of vulnerable populations, including children and the elderly. Transportation systems have also been severely disrupted.
The effects of the floods are not confined to Somalia alone. In neighboring Kenya, the death toll has reached 15 according to the Kenya Red Cross, particularly impacting the port city of Mombasa and the northeastern counties of Mandera and Wajir.