The Somalia National Disaster Management Agency has on Thursday dispatched 30 trucks of relief supplies and an emergency boat to Mahaday district of Middle Shabelle and its environs, Hirshabelle administration, in the ongoing efforts to alleviate the impacts of the devastating floods.
Dr. Ahmed Abdi Adan, the Deputy Commissioner of the National Disaster Agency, flagged off the relief aid at the agency’s Emergency and Coordination Center in the capital, Mogadishu.
Adan said that the aid comprises assorted food items, including wheat, delivered to the Somali government by the Russian authorities.
He assured that the consignment of relief aid will be distributed to Somalis affected by the flooding of the Shabelle River that burst its banks following torrential heavy rains in the area and across the country.
Mahadey district is among the areas severely affected by the current El Nino weather phenomenon that has left residents fleeing their homes, compounded by a lack of food.
The provision of emergency relief supplies is expected to be a sigh of relief for the residents, who are currently on the precipice of hunger and lack of shelter as their homes continue to be submerged by flood water resulting from the heavy downpour.
The Horn of Africa is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events are occurring with increased frequency and intensity.
The region is emerging from the worst drought in four decades after multiple failed rainy seasons that left millions of people in need and devastated crops and livestock.
Humanitarian groups have warned that the situation is only likely to worsen and called for urgent global intervention as El Nino is expected to last until at least April 2024.
