Floods kill at the very least 31 in Somalia. UN warns of a flood occasion more likely to occur as soon as in 100 years

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Floods attributable to torrential rainfall have killed at the very least 31 individuals in numerous elements of Somalia, authorities stated Sunday.

Since October, floods have displaced practically half 1,000,000 individuals and disrupted the lives of over 1.2 million individuals, Minister of Data Daud Aweis advised reporters within the capital Mogadishu. They’ve additionally prompted intensive harm to civilian infrastructure notably within the Gedo area of southern Somalia, he stated.

The U.N. Workplace for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, which has given $25 million to assist mitigate the influence of flooding, warned in a press release Thursday of “a flood occasion of a magnitude statistically seemingly solely as soon as in 100 years, with important anticipated humanitarian impacts.”

“Whereas all attainable preparatory measures are being pursued, a flood of this magnitude can solely be mitigated and never prevented,” OCHA stated, recommending “early warning and early motion” to save lots of lives as “large-scale displacement, elevated humanitarian wants and additional destruction of property stay seemingly.”

The lives of some 1.6 million individuals in Somalia may very well be disrupted by floods through the wet season that lasts till December, with 1.5 million hectares of farmland probably being destroyed, it stated.

Mogadishu has been ravaged by downpours that, at occasions, swept away weak individuals, together with kids and the aged, and disrupted transportation.

Floods are additionally affecting neighboring Kenya, the place the loss of life toll stood at 15 on Monday, in response to the Kenya Purple Cross. The port metropolis of Mombasa and the northeastern counties of Mandera and Wajir are the worst affected.