The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has released a report highlighting the dire situation in Somalia, where heavy rains have triggered widespread flooding, leading to the displacement of over 113,000 individuals.
The impact of these floods has been particularly severe in various regions, with hundreds of thousands of people experiencing temporary displacement.
This alarming development follows a challenging period for Somalia, as the nation grappled with its most severe drought in four decades just a year ago.
The current rainfall season has witnessed intense downpours in several Somalia states, including Puntland, Galmudug, South West, Hirshabelle, and areas along the Juba river in Jubbaland State. This weather pattern, attributed to the El Niño phenomenon, has contributed to the escalation of the crisis.
Southwest and Jubbaland states have borne the brunt of this disaster, with approximately 536,608 individuals profoundly affected by the flooding. In the Luuq area of southwest Gedo region, 2,400 people found themselves trapped by the floods, prompting urgent rescue efforts by humanitarian agencies.
Earlier this year, Somalia faced another catastrophic event when floods, triggered by the overflowing Shabelle river in central Somalia, forced a quarter of a million people from their homes, submerging the town of Beledweyne.
By xamse
November 7, 2023
