Somalia Has Been Hit By Its Worst Flood In 100 Years, Right After Its Worst Drought In 40 Years
Somalia has been lashed with heavy rains since October, which struck right after the country suffered from its worst drought in four decades.
Flash floods in Somalia have left almost 100 people dead and more than 700,000 people displaced in what the United Nations has called a “once-in-a-century event”.
Somalia has been lashed with heavy rains since October, which struck right after the country suffered from its worst drought in four decades.
Since 2020, there have been consecutive failed rainy season in Somalia and other countries in the horn of Africa region, leaving millions struggling for food and water and bringing mass hunger, malnutrition and displacement.
Officials said that central and southern Somalia have already received more rain in the first week of November 2023 than a typical Deyr season – the rainy season – which typically lasts from October to December.
The floods, linked to El Niño, have also inundated nearby countries in eastern Africa, including Ethiopia and Kenya nearby, where at least 46 people were killed, Reuters reported.
The intense flooding and torrential rains damaged homes, roads and bridges, with aid groups raising concerns there could be an increase in disease outbreaks.
The UN said the number of people displaced by the floods in Somalia has “nearly doubled in one week” and many people have been left without shelter, water and food supplies.
The Somali government has declared a national state of emergency, and the country’s Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has called on the international community for help.
