Flood kills 50 people, renders 700,000 homeless in Somalia

A Somali government official says flash flooding in the county has killed 50 people and forced over 700,000 people from their homes, predicting heavy rains on Tuesday (today) to worsen the situation.

Due to the El Nino weather phenomena, the Horn of Africa is currently suffering heavy rains and floods that have destroyed bridges and submerged residential areas.

Numerous people have been displaced as a result, with dozens of lives claimed.

“Fifty people died in the disaster… while 687,235 people were forced to flee their houses,” Somali Disaster Management Agency director, Mohamud Moalim Abdullahi said at a press briefing on Monday.

“The expected rains between 21st and 24th of November… may cause more flooding which could cause death and destruction,” he added.

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The UN humanitarian organization, OCHA, reported on Saturday that 1.7 million people had been impacted by the disaster, with the number of people displaced in Somalia due to flooding and torrential rains “having nearly doubled in one week.”

“In addition, roads, bridges, and airstrips have been damaged in several areas, affecting the movement of people and supplies and leading to increased prices of basic commodities,” OCHA said.

On Thursday, the British charity, Save the Children, announced that flash flooding has pushed over 700,000 people from their homes in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia and killed over 100 people, including 16 children.

One of the areas most at risk from climate change is the Horn of Africa, where extreme weather events are happening more frequently and intensely.

Following several unsuccessful wet seasons that destroyed crops and cattle and left millions of people in need, the region is currently experiencing its worst drought in forty years.

Since El Nino is predicted to persist until at least April 2024, humanitarian organizations have issued dire warnings that the situation is certain to get worse and have demanded immediate international intervention.