Once-in-a-century flooding swamps Somalia after historic drought
Somalia and neighbouring countries in East Africa following a historic drought as a once-in-a-century event. Around 1.6 million people in Somalia could be affected by the heavy seasonal downpours, which have been worsened by the combined impact of two climate phenomenons, El Niño, and the Indian Ocean Dipole, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement late on Thursday.
The floods, which followed heavy rains that started in early October, have already killed at least 29 people, forced more than 300,000 from their homes in Somalia, and inundated towns and villages across northern Kenya. Also Read | Israel-Hamas war LIVE updates: IDF kills several terrorists from Hamas' Nakba unit Camps for people displaced by an Islamist insurgency and the worst drought in four decades have also been flooded, causing people to flee for a second time, aid groups say.
Large-scale displacement, increased humanitarian needs and further destruction of property remain likely, OCHA said, with some 1.5 million hectares (3.70 million acres)of farmland potentially being destroyed. Also Read | Delhi, NCR Air Pollution LIVE Updates: Rain in the capital city improves AQI, declines to 339 today "Extreme weather linked to the ongoing El Niño risks further driving up humanitarian needs in already-vulnerable communities in Somalia and many other places," said Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General, the UN's Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
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