Title: Devastating Floods in Derna, Libya Claim Over 1,500 Lives
Date: 12 September 2023, 10:42 BST
Updated: 12 minutes ago
Video caption: Watch: Floods tear through Libyan city of Derna
The death toll from floods in the city of Derna, Libya, has reached over 1,500, according to a minister from the eastern-based government who visited the area. Hisham Chkiouat described the scene as resembling a tsunami, expressing shock at the extent of the destruction caused by the floods. Two dams and four bridges collapsed, leading to massive flooding and submerging much of Derna, home to approximately 100,000 people.
In addition to the death toll, up to 10,000 individuals are reported missing as a result of the flooding caused by Storm Daniel, as stated by the Red Crescent. The storm has also affected the eastern cities of Benghazi, Soussa, and Al-Marj.
Mr. Chkiouat, the aviation minister and part of the eastern government’s emergency response committee, revealed that one of the dams to the south of Derna had collapsed and pulled large parts of the city into the sea. He expressed concerns about the lack of maintenance on the dam, attributing its collapse to the disaster.
Water engineering experts have suggested that the upper dam, located around 12km from the city, failed first, resulting in the water rushing toward the second dam situated approximately one kilometer from the low-lying part of Derna, leading to extensive flooding in the affected neighborhoods.
Tamer Ramadan, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Libya, expects the death toll to be substantial. He reported that the number of missing people has reached 10,000 individuals.
The recent downpour caused significant flooding in Bayda, a town west of Derna, with 414mm of rain recorded in 24 hours during Storm Daniel. This amount is equivalent to 77% of Bayda’s average annual total rainfall in a month which is typically dry for northeastern Libya.
Since the fall of long-serving ruler Col Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been in political chaos, resulting in a divided nation with an interim government operating from Tripoli and another government in the east. The lack of coordination between these factions has hindered rescue efforts and hampered responses to natural disasters.
Various countries, including the United States, Egypt, Germany, Iran, Italy, Qatar, and Turkey, have pledged or provided aid to assist in the rescue efforts. The eastern administration in Derna has also accepted help from the government in Tripoli.
The damage caused by the floods has prompted calls for urgent financial support from official bodies, particularly Libya’s central bank, to facilitate reconstruction efforts. The Libyan National Army (LNA) is currently assessing the damage to reconstruct roads and restore electricity in order to aid rescue operations.
Experts have cited the failure to rebuild and maintain infrastructure in Derna after years of conflict as a contributing factor to the high death toll.
If you are in Derna, Libya, and have been affected by the flooding, please reach out to [email protected]. The BBC is interested in hearing about your experience. Please provide a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist.