Libya Flood: A massive Mediterranean storm that burst dams, swept away houses, and completely destroyed the eastern coastal city of Derna caused thousands of people to perish and at least 10,000 to go missing in Libya. More than 2,000 people had died, according to a senior doctor in Derna, while eastern Libyan officials quoted by local television put the number at almost 5,000. After more than ten years of conflict, a country that was split and in disarray was hit hard by Storm Daniel as it sailed over the Mediterranean.
Homes and Lives Shattered
Journalists from Reuters witnessed destroyed districts in Derna, a city of about 125,000 people, as well as houses that had been washed away and cars that had flipped onto their roofs in streets that were littered with debris and muck from the huge stream that had formed when dams had broken. 500 individuals had passed away in one of the city’s two districts, according to Mohamad al-Qabisi, director of the Wahda Hospital, while 1,700 had passed away in the other. In the hospital hallways, Reuters journalists observed numerous dead that were spread out on the ground. People glanced at the dead as more were taken to the hospital in an effort to locate missing relatives. “Bodies are lying everywhere – in the sea, in the valleys, under the buildings,” Hichem Abu Chkiouat, minister of civil aviation in the administration that controls the east, told Reuters by phone shortly after visiting Derna. “I am not exaggerating when I say that 25% of the city has disappeared. Many, many buildings have collapsed.” The interior minister of the eastern administration reportedly stated that more than 5,000 people killed, according to the local al-Masar television. The storm also affected other eastern cities, including Benghazi, the second-largest city in Libya. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies delegation leader Tamer Ramadan predicted a “huge” death toll. “We can confirm from our independent sources of information that the number of missing people is hitting 10,000 so far,” he told reporters via video link. v
Lifeline Turned Threat Amidst Collapsed Dams
A seasonal river that cuts through Derna and flows from the highlands to the south is usually dammed to prevent flooding. In a video shared on social media, a collapsed dam was seen with its remnants around by sizable pools of mud-colored water, 11.5 km (7 miles) upstream of the city where two river valleys met. In the footage, a voice can be heard saying, “There used to be a dam.” On the basis of the pictures, Reuters verified the location. The seasonal riverbed, or wadi, which frequently floods, according to hydrologist Abdelwanees A. R. Ashoor of Libya’s Omar Al-Mukhtar University, poses a threat to Derna. He listed five floods that have occurred since 1942 and demanded action right away to guarantee the dams are regularly maintained.
Derna’s Vulnerability to a Major Flood Event
“If a huge flood happens the result will be catastrophic for the people of the wadi and the city,” the paper said. Pope Francis was one of many world leaders who expressed their profound sadness for the loss of life and destruction in Libya. President of the United States Joe Biden extended his condolences and announced that Washington was donating urgent funding to relief organisations. Since a 2011 NATO-backed revolt that sparked years of factional conflict, Libya is politically divided between the east and west, and public services have crumbled. Despite not having authority over eastern regions, the internationally recognised government in Tripoli has sent aid to Derna, with at least one relief flight departing from the western city of Misrata on Tuesday, according to a Reuters journalist on board.
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