Flash Floods Kill 22, Displace Thousands In Somalia - UN

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2023) The ongoing rain season in Somalia has caused rivers to burst their banks, inundating large swathes of land and killing 22 people since mid-March, the UN humanitarian agency said Sunday.

"Initial estimates indicate that the flash and riverine floods across Somalia have affected at least 460,470 people, of whom nearly 219,000 have been displaced from their homes mainly in flood-prone areas, and 22 killed," a situation report read.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said floods had left a trail of destruction in their wake, submerging homes and farmland, washing away livestock, damaging roads, and closing schools and health facilities.

On the upside, the rains have been recharging surface water sources after the worst drought in four decades left millions across Somalia at risk of starvation, although the agency estimated that the African country would need more time and rain to recover from six straight dry seasons.