In the eastern regions of Libya, the recent onslaught of floods has led to the disappearance of up to 10,000 individuals, leaving nearly twice as many people without homes.
Libya Unexpected Deluge Understanding the Recent Floods
Tofiq Shakri, the spokesperson for Libya’s Red Crescent, revealed on a fateful Tuesday that the confirmed casualties have reached a heartbreaking 2,084, while Tamer Ramadan, the head of IFRC, grimly pronounced, ‘The tally of missing persons has now eclipsed the daunting figure of 10,000.’ Current estimates paint a dire picture, with approximately 20,000 individuals now grappling with homelessness. Meanwhile, the eastern administration of Libya, headquartered in Benghazi, somberly calculates that 3,000 souls have been claimed by this calamity.
In the bustling metropolis of Tripoli, Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah of the National Unity Government made an announcement on that ill-fated Tuesday. He declared the dispatch of 14 tons of much-needed relief supplies and medical teams aboard an aid plane destined for Benghazi. Nevertheless, it is the city of Derna that remains most besieged, its plight far from ameliorated.
A lifeline emerges as relief convoys are mobilized from the western territories to the beleaguered east. The internationally recognized Tripoli government has officially designated the eastern region as a disaster zone, pledging unwavering assistance.
From the heart of Benghazi’s administration, we hear the harrowing account of more than a thousand lifeless bodies retrieved from the depths of Derna, nestled along the Mediterranean’s unforgiving shores. The narrative takes a catastrophic turn when, on that fateful Monday, the tempestuous Tropical Storm Daniel sweeps across eastern Libya. Two dams along the Wadi Derna river are breached by this catastrophic occurrence, flooding its vast plains with harsh water in the millions of cubic metres.
Apartment complexes find themselves partially submerged, and a once-sturdy bridge succumbs to the relentless deluge as a staggering ten tons of water rush inexorably into the sea. The count of missing souls in the wake of this natural disaster fluctuates, with estimates oscillating between 5,000 and a chilling 10,000 more information.
Trina’s voice rises above the turmoil as she remarks, ‘Accessing Derna has become a Herculean task, with roads leading to the city razed or severed by the relentless floods.’ Yet, she conveys a glimmer of hope as she underscores the commencement of relief missions extending their embrace beyond Derna’s confines.
On September 11, 2023, the city of Derna in Libya bore witness to unparalleled devastation, courtesy of the merciless Tropical Storm Daniel. Trina vividly recounts the scenes of chaos and desperation, with countless patients and medical personnel forced to evacuate inundated hospitals, while scores of people remain stranded in waterlogged regions.
Tamer Ramadan, a stalwart member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ delegation in Libya, voices a sobering perspective. He issues a warning that the robust populace and even the national society and the government are no longer sufficient to fight the flood. International aid actors are primed to answer this desperate call.
Hisham Chakiwat, the resolute mayor of the coastal city of Hawabi, made a poignant visit to Derna. He shared his gut-wrenching observations with Reuters news agency on that ill-fated Tuesday, stating, ‘Bodies are strewn across the landscape – in the unforgiving sea, nestled within valleys, and tragically hidden beneath the shattered remnants of buildings.’ With solemn resolve, he adds, ‘When I speak of a city that is 25 percent lost, I do not exaggerate.