At least 50 people died in floods that hit Somalia. According to the country’s authorities, the number of people who had to leave flooded homes reached almost 700,000. Forecasts show that the next few days may bring further devastating floods.
East Africa is struggling with heavy rains and floods. Somalia was particularly hard hit, with heavy rainfall destroying bridges and flooding civilian areas. According to the country’s authorities, the element killed at least 50 people and nearly 700,000 had to leave their homes.
More floods on the horizon
On Saturday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the number of people forced to leave their homes “almost doubled in a week” and the floods affected a total of 1.7 million people. The destruction of basic infrastructure – roads, viaducts and bridges – also led to an increase in the prices of basic goods.
The director of the Somali Disaster Management Agency warned on Monday that further downpours were expected in Somalia from November 21-24. The official warned that they could cause further destruction and lead to even more deaths.
The Horn of Africa is emerging from its worst drought in four decades, which has destroyed crops and killed thousands of farm animals. Humanitarian organizations said the situation would worsen and called on the international community to urgently intervene as the El Nino weather phenomenon, responsible for more frequent downpours in this part of the world, is expected to last until at least April 2024.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/SAID YUSUF WARSAME