Floods kill at least 31 in Somalia, UN warns of a flood event likely to happen once in 100 years
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, which has given USD 25 million to help mitigate the impact of flooding, warned in a statement Thursday of a flood event of a magnitude statistically likely only once in 100 years, with significant anticipated humanitarian impacts.
Local resident Ahmed Idow described the situation in the area as “extremely bad,” adding that “people are running for their lives because of the force of the water. Some people are using tractors to get through.”
Since October, floods have displaced nearly half a million people and disrupted the lives of over 1.2 million people, Minister of Information Daud Aweis told reporters on Sunday in the capital Mogadishu.
They have also caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure notably in the Gedo region of southern Somalia, he said.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, which has given $25 million to help mitigate the impact of flooding, warned in a statement Thursday of “a flood event of a magnitude statistically likely only once in 100 years, with significant anticipated humanitarian impacts.”
The lives of some 1.6 million people in Somalia could be disrupted by floods during the rainy season that lasts until December, with 1.5 million hectares of farmland potentially being destroyed, it said.
Mogadishu has been ravaged by downpours that, at times, swept away vulnerable people, including children and the elderly, and disrupted transportation.
Floods are also affecting neighbouring Kenya, where the death toll stood at 15 on Monday, according to the Kenya Red Cross.
