Somalia Faces Humanitarian Crisis as Floods Displace 200,000 People

According to a regional authority, 200,000 people have been forced to flee their homes as a result of flash flooding in central Somalia, where the Shabelle River burst its banks and flooded highways.

Residents flee their homes

(Photo : HASSAN ALI ELMI/AFP via Getty Images)

Due to torrential rains that caused water levels to rise quickly, residents of Beledweyne town in the Hiran region were forced from their houses. As they waded through flooded streets in search of safety, they carried their possessions on top of their heads.

The Shabelle River flash floods in Beledweyne town have already forced about 200,000 people from their homes, and that number might rise at any time. According to Ali Osman Hussein, the deputy governor for social affairs in the Hiran region, this figure is currently provisional.

"We are doing all we can to help those who are affected," he told AFP, as per Phys.org.

Hassan Ibrahim Abdulle, the deputy governor of the area, reported on Friday that three persons had died as a result of the flooding.

The catastrophe follows a record drought that put millions of Somalians in danger of starvation. The fragile country has also been waging an Islamist insurgency for decades.

Early this week, residents said they were forced to leave their houses in the middle of the night as water poured into the streets and into structures.

It was Fartun Ali's fifth time escaping flash flooding in Beledweyne; Fartun is not her true name.

The 35-year-old mother of eight told AFP that if the river overflows its banks, we go.

Also Read: Heavy Rain Threatens 1,200-Mile Area with Flash Flood Risk from Kansas to West Virginia This Week

Extreme weather hits Africa

Another resident Iman Badal Omar said he was relieved to escape with his life.

"All we could do was to evacuate and save our children. We did not take any of our belongings," as per Manila Bulletin.

East and Central Africa often suffer from extreme weather during the rainy seasons.

Heavy rains earlier this month in Rwanda caused floods and landslides in numerous areas of the hilly nation, killing 135 people and leaving more than 9,000 homeless.

Last week, severe rainstorms, floods, and landslides in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo claimed the lives of more than 400 people.

According to experts, climate change is causing a rise in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, and Africa, which makes the least contribution to global warming, is feeling the brunt of this trend.

As the area was battered by torrential rains in May 2020, at least 65 deaths were reported in Rwanda, while 194 deaths were reported in Kenya.

During two months of nonstop rain in numerous East African nations towards the end of 2019, at least 265 people perished and tens of others were forced to flee their homes.

Humanitarian response needed

Humanitarian agencies have broadened and scaled-up their flood response in close coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia and member states.

The flood response plan seeks US$59.85 million to deliver life-saving assistance over three months.

The plan aims to provide food security and livelihood support, health care, nutrition services, water and sanitation facilities, shelter and non-food items, protection services, and education support to the affected population, as per rw response.

According to OCHA, floods have affected over 175,000 people in Somalia since the beginning of the rainy season, of whom 140,000 have been displaced.

The most affected areas are Baardheere district in Gedo Region, Jubaland State, and Baidoa district in Bay Region.

OCHA warned of an increase in diseases such as cholera as local infrastructures are affected by the floods.

It also said that humanitarian access remains a challenge due to insecurity and road blockages caused by water levels