El Nino phenomenon-induced severe floods has placed Somalia under emergency conditions
Initially, a few families left the violence and drought. As El Niño-exacerbated rainfall batters huge sections of Somalia, they now claim they have nowhere to shelter from extreme floods.
At least 96 people have died as a result of flooding, the nation’s Council of Ministers said on Thursday.
The heavily populated town of Beledweyne, where the Shabelle River overflowed its banks, damaged several houses, and forced thousands of people to evacuate to higher ground close to the Ethiopian border, is one of the worst-hit places.
Four children, one of whom is crippled, are under the care of Hakima Mohamud Hareed, who said that her family is always in need of refuge.
The family just relocated to Beledweyne in order to escape fighting between Somali government troops and the militant organization al-Shabab.
“We left our home for safety and stability, but we had no idea that we would have to deal with another disaster,” the woman stated over the phone.
The family’s little, frayed tent was wrecked by the floodwaters in the Kutiimo refugee camp in Beledweyne. Wind whips the wet, thin material.
“All of our possessions were destroyed by the floods, leaving us with nothing but our lives,” she said. “For all of us, it was a traumatic experience.”
They’re not by alone. A total of 90% of the inhabitants of Beledweyne, or around 250,000 people, have been driven from their homes by the water, according to the humanitarian organization Save the Children.
Following the destruction of houses, roads, and bridges by harsh weather worsened by El Niño, the federal government of Somalia proclaimed a state of emergency in October.
An El Niño is a natural, sporadic, transient warming of a portion of the Pacific that modifies global weather patterns, often by rearranging storm pathways in the atmosphere. The months of December through February are the worst. Scientists think El Niño is becoming stronger due to climate change.
Relief organizations have characterized the ongoing, intense rains that are occurring in many sections of Somalia, as well as in neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia, as an unusual flooding phenomena.
The U.N. food agency issued a statement recently alerting the world to the threat of “a flood event of a magnitude statistically likely only once in 100 years,” which is being issued by the U.N.-backed Somali Water and Land Information Management project.
According to the report, flooding incidents might have an impact on almost 1.6 million people in Somalia throughout the rainy season, which runs until December.
The village that has been ravaged the most could be Beledweyne, located in central Hiran. Houses were swept away as floods surged through.
Hakima said that while her family’s tent is protected from water, they are in need of warm shelter and food.
She stated, “We are fighting to survive, so we ask our Somali brothers and sisters to help us get out of this situation.”
Retailer Mukhtar Moalim spoke of his desperate efforts to keep his store in Beledweyne’s market intact when the river overflowed its banks. In an attempt to stop the water from entering the store, he and a relative swam over to the entrance and placed concrete blocks against it.
However, as the water level rises, their home on the floor above the store, from where they watch the devastation, is also in danger.
According to Hassan Issee, the emergency operations manager at the Somalia Disaster Management Agency, flooding has claimed the lives of at least 53 individuals across Somalia.
“We are trying our best to provide relief to the affected people, but the situation is dire,” he said.
The capital of Somalia, Mogadishu, has also been impacted. Main thoroughfares in the city, including the route to the airport, are inundated.
Speaking on Wednesday in the Gedo region’s Dollow area, where flooding has forced many people to flee, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre pleaded with the world to provide a hand.
“We’re trying our hardest, but we still need help,” he said.
