SoDMA appeals for more aid for Beledweyne flood victims

GOOBJOOG NEWS | BELEDWEYNE: The Somali National Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) has announced more aid for victims of flooding in Beledweyne and appealed for more assistance to the affected people.

Speaking during a meeting with Hiran region Governor Ali Jayte Osman in Beledweyne, the SoDMA chairman Mohamud Mo’alim Abdulle said the organization had dispatched a fleet of vehicles with humanitarian aid including food and medicine to the area to assist the victims.

Government and humanitarian officials in Hiran region have been engaged in efforts to rescue and assist the victims over the past days following flooding that occurred after River Shebelle burst its banks due to heavy downpour experienced in the area.

Officials estimate that at least 200,000 people have so far been displaced by flash floods in central Somalia which has also submerged roads and swept away the resident’s homesteads and property.

Residents were forced to flee their homes as the water levels rose rapidly with many carrying some of their belongings on heads as they waded through flooded roads in search for safer grounds.

“Some 200,000 people are now displaced due to the Shabelle River flash floods in Beledweyne town and the number may increase any time. It is a preliminary figure now. We are doing all we can to help those who are affected,” a government officials told journalists.