Death toll from severe flooding in Somalia rises to 50
Floods triggered by heavy rainfall in Somalia have killed 50 people so far. According to the head of the Somali disaster management authority, almost 690,000 people have also had to flee their homes to escape the floods. The rainfall expected from Tuesday "could cause further flooding, which could lead to death and destruction", said Mohammed Moalim Abdullahi at a press conference.
The region in the Horn of Africa is currently experiencing heavy rainfall and flooding associated with the El Niño weather phenomenon. In Somalia, the heavy rainfall flooded residential areas and destroyed bridges.
On Saturday, the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) stated that the number of people displaced by heavy rain and flooding in Somalia "has almost doubled within a week". A total of 1.7 million people have been affected by the weather disaster. In addition, roads, bridges and airstrips have been damaged, which has "affected the mobility of people and supplies and led to an increase in the price of basic commodities", Ocha continued.
El Niño is characterized by a warming of the surface waters in the Pacific Ocean. The weather phenomenon occurs on average every two to seven years and usually lasts nine to twelve months. El Niño causes heat and droughts in some regions of the world and heavy rainfall in others.
More fatalities are expected as the predicted floods in Somalia could lead to further destruction. The quantity of people displaced by the floods has surpassed 1.7 million, greatly impacting Somalia. The flooding associated with El Niño has resulted in more than 50 fatalities in Somalia.
Source: www.ntv.de
