Libya floods wipe out quarter of city, thousands dead

DERNA: UN agencies and partners are responding to the disaster unfolding in eastern Libya after extreme rainfall caused devastating flooding and loss of life over the weekend.

An estimated 3,000 people have died and up to 10,000 people have been reported missing in the massive floods triggered by Storm Daniel, which overwhelmed the eastern parts of the country at the weekend, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said.

In a statement, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his heartfelt condolences to the Libyan authorities and the families of those who have perished.

At this time, our thoughts are with the thousands of people being affected there in their communities, we stand in solidarity with all people in Libya during this difficult time, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York. He said the UN team on the ground is responding at the site.

“We are mobilizing resources and emergency teams to support those affected people and are working with local, national, and international partners to get urgently needed humanitarian assistance to people in the affected areas.,” he said. “The UN is working with Libyan authorities to assess needs and support ongoing relief efforts,” he added.

Libya is in effect under the control of two rival administrations, the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, and authorities based along with the parliament in the east.

READ MORE: At least 2,000 dead, 10,000 believed missing in Libya’s catastrophic flood

According to the UN weather agency WMO, two dams burst during heavy storms over the weekend, sweeping entire neighborhoods in the city of Derna into the sea.

The floodwaters reached a peak in northeastern Libya on Sunday, with strong winds of up to 80 kilometers per hour, interrupting communications and bringing down electricity towers and trees.

The humanitarian needs are huge and much beyond the abilities of the Libyan Red Crescent, and even beyond the abilities of the government, stressed Tamar Ramadan, head of the IFRC delegation in Libya, who was speaking from Tunis via videoconference.

Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said the flooding was of epic proportions. There’s not been a storm like this in the region in living memory, so it’s a great shock, she said.

Dr Harris added that WHO has deployed prepositioned aid supplies to the affected areas. She estimated that torrential rain affected up to 1.8 million people and damaged and even wiped out some hospitals.

The work now is really to get in supplies, sadly some of those supplies are things like body bags, but also trauma kits, the WHO spokesperson said.

The Libyan Government has announced three days of mourning in all the affected cities, calling them “disaster areas”. Emergency responders, government workers and residents are digging through rubble to look for survivors.

Libya has become a key springboard for migrants from over 40 countries heading for Europe, who most likely have also been severely impacted by the floods, the UN migration agency (IOM) warned.