Somalia facing worst floods in century

BELEDWEYNE, SOMALIA - NOV. 16, 2023: Somalia is experiencing the worst climate-change-related floods in a century, wreaking havoc in many parts of the Horn of Africa country, affecting 1.24 million people and displacing over 456,800 more since the first week of October, said a statement issued by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Thursday.Heavy rains are also expected in the Bay region of the South West, as well as parts of Somaliland and Galmudug, with riverine and flash flooding likely to continue until Nov. 21, the OCHA Somalia said and warned that the risk of disease outbreaks, particularly cholera, is growing.The bay region in South West State is bearing the brunt of the damage, accounting for 37% (454,320 people) of the total number of people affected.Gedo follows closely with 23% (291,765 people) and Mudug 17% (213,356 people). In Baidoa, Bay Region, floods have displaced 12,350 families (74,100 people) in Howl Wadaag, Horseed, Berdaale, and Isha sites for internally displaced people (IDPs), the OCHA statement said, citing the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).The Somali National Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) in a separate statement on Thursday also issued another warning, stating that floods caused by the El Nino phenomenon will continue as water levels in the Jubba and Shabelle rivers continue to rise following torrential rains in parts of the country and the Ethiopian highlands.According to the weather forecast, rainfall in Bay, Gedo, and Awdal could cause floods and landslides, the agency said.Earlier on Wednesday, the agency announced an increase in the death toll, which now stands at 42 since Oct. 4.(Footage by Abuukar Mohamed Muhidin /Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)