At least 22 dead and more than 200,000 displaced by floods in Somalia

May 14. (EUROPE PRESS) –

At least 22 people have lost their lives and almost 219,000 have had to leave their homes due to the severe floods that have affected the interior regions of Somalia, according to the latest balance published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( OCHA).

The floods have flooded homes, farmland, have taken away livestock and have forced the closure of schools and health centers, OCHA explained in a statement.

According to the first estimates there are at least 460,470 affected, of which 219,000 have had to leave their homes due to the flooding of the Shabelle River.

“The rainy season floods have left a trail of destruction especially in the Belet Weyne district, in Hirshabelle state, and in Baardheere, in Jubaland state,” OCHA said.

On the positive side, the rains will replenish the reservoirs of the water wells and facilitate the regeneration of the vegetation, but much more precipitation will be necessary to alleviate the impact of the recent drought.

OCHA has also valued the activation of the Drought Response and Preparedness Plan and the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan, an initiative that urgently needs funding, since it has only covered 25 percent of its budget.

The Gu is a rainy season that usually takes place between April and June, essential for Somali farmers and ranchers, in its most moderate version, since it is the main means of replacing crops and pastures in the face of the dry months.

According to UN experts, everything indicates that the country will once again suffer its sixth consecutive season of below-average rains, an unprecedented phenomenon since the start of studies on the matter and even despite the rainfall in recent days. .