Over 200,000 Somali people affected by floods in October, OCHA says

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: Nearly 280,000 people in Somalia were affected by flooding in the month of October according to the OCHA Regional Office for Southern and Eastern Africa (ROSEA).

The organization says areas in Galmudug, Hirshabelle, Jubaland, and South West states suffered the brunt of the impact of the seasonal Deyr rains and related flash flooding.

It adds that majority of the affected people, most of whom are in displacement sites have reportedly returned to their normal lives after the flash floods subsided but are in need of humanitarian assistance.

They however remain vulnerable to subsequent flooding if the rains continue as forecast, since most of the displacement sites are located in low-lying areas.

“About 43,840 people have been relocated to higher grounds due to floods; 88 per cent (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.

Emergency Reponses

Humanitarian partners, in collaboration with the authorities, have activated targeted emergency responses in inaccessible areas.

Emergency preparedness and flood response coordination meetings continue to be held, under the leadership of the state Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, across the country.

Somalia has recorded a fluctuation in the amount of rainfall recorded across several parts of the country, since the heavy to moderate rains received between 4^th and 22^nd October in the affected states.