Flash flooding in Somalia has led to the loss of 50 lives and forced nearly 700,000 people to evacuate their homes, according to statements from a government official.
News About Nigeria gathered that the catastrophe, fueled by heavy rains and exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon, has wreaked havoc on the Horn of Africa region, causing widespread displacement and destruction.
Mohamud Moalim Abdullahi, the director of the Somali Disaster Management Agency, shared the statistics during a press briefing on Monday.
He warned that the situation could further deteriorate as heavy rains are anticipated to persist from the 21st to the 24th of November, posing additional threats to life and property.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported a concerning surge in the number of displaced individuals in Somalia, nearly doubling within a week.
The disaster has impacted 1.7 million people in total, with critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and airstrips suffering damage, impeding the movement of people and supplies and causing a surge in the prices of essential commodities.
Save the Children, a British charity emphasised the grim toll of the flooding across the region.
More than 100 lives, including 16 children, have been claimed in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia. Over 700,000 people have been compelled to abandon their homes due to the deluge.
The Horn of Africa is particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, with extreme weather events becoming more frequent and intense.
The region is still reeling from the impact of the worst drought in four decades, which left millions in dire need, decimated crops, and devastated livestock.
Humanitarian organisations are sounding the alarm, emphasising the urgent need for global intervention.
The El Nino weather phenomenon is expected to persist until at least April 2024, raising concerns of prolonged and exacerbated humanitarian crises in the affected regions.
