Somalia’s OCHA Regional Office for Southern and Eastern Africa reports that nearly 280,000 people were affected by flooding in October.
According to the organization, areas in Galmudug, Hirshabelle, Jubaland, and South West states were hardest hit by the seasonal Deyr rains and related flash flooding. It goes on to say that the majority of those affected, the majority of whom are in displacement camps, have reportedly returned to their normal lives after the flash floods subsided, but they still require humanitarian assistance.
However, because the majority of the displacement sites are in low-lying areas, they remain vulnerable to subsequent flooding if the rains continue as predicted.
“About 43,840 people have been relocated to higher grounds due to floods; 88 percent (about 38,360 people) were recorded in Hirshabelle state. Humanitarian partners are supporting people living in displacement sites who are at risk due to forecasted heavy rains, but critical gaps in the response persist,†the humanitarian organization observes.
Humanitarian partners have activated targeted emergency responses in remote regions in collaboration with authorities.
Emergency preparedness and flood response coordination meetings are still being held across the country, led by the state Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management.
Since the heavy to moderate rains received between the 4th and 22nd of October in the affected states, Somalia has seen an upsurge in the amount of rainfall recorded across the country.
