MOGADISHU, Somalia (KAAB TV) – Floods have ravaged parts of Somalia, claiming the lives of seven individuals and displacing a staggering 8,376 people, according to the latest report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The impact of the Gu rains and subsequent floods has rippled across the nation, affecting over 127,000 individuals from various communities.
IDP communities are particularly affected as they are forced to flee from their makeshift shelters in all the places affected by flooding.
Regions such as Lower Shabelle, Gedo, Somaliland, and SSC-Khaatumo have borne the brunt of the disaster, with towns like Afgoye, Qoryoley, Marka, Luuq, Garbaharey, Hargeisa, Burco, and Gabiley witnessing widespread devastation.
In Beledweyne, Jowhar, and Afmadow, residents have been forced to flee their homes as floodwaters inundated houses, farmlands, schools, and markets.
The situation is dire in hotspot areas like Berbera, Diinsoor, Baidoa, Buurhakaba, Galkayo, Jalalaqsi, Balcad and Laascaanood city in the SSC-Khaatumo region, which have been designated as a hotspot due to the heavy Gu’ rains.
Humanitarian groups warn that the number of people at risk of flooding has surged to 571,000, with intervention efforts lagging behind the escalating crisis.
Despite the rising toll of lives lost and families displaced, both the Somali government and regional authorities appear to lack a sense of urgency in addressing the unfolding disaster.