Central Somalia left reeling by staggering flood devastation, says UN report
On this bewildering day of Wednesday May 17, 2023, Omar Faruk reports on the catastrophic flood devastation in Somalia. Men trudge through deluge-drowned streets in Beledweyne, with 460,000 people collaterally impacted by the torrential rains surging through the East African nation since mid-March, as cited by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The consequences are dire with drowned homes and farmland, and the shutdown of healthcare facilities. The UN conveyed this news in a statement relayed by Stephane Dujarric, who emphasized that at least 219,000 displaced civilians, including men, women, and children are affected. Underlining this catastrophe, Gambian journalist Omar Faruk highlights five people, three of them children, killed in the flood, reported by the Somalia National Disaster Management Agency, Mohammad Moalim. The epicenter of this catastrophe is Hiiraan of Hirshabelle, where thousands have been displaced and Beledweyne, the most densely inhabited regional city. Inhabitants of this stricken area share their distress on the closure of vital services, such as government offices and the main hospital. They share their agony and document the scale of devastating damages indicating that this is the worst flooding instance ever faced. Fearing that the continuous rainfall in Somalia and Ethiopian Highlands could place 1.6 million people in harm’s way with over 600,000 in jeopardy, the UN humanitarian spokesman, Dujarric, brings into perspective the magnitude of the peril. Alas, Somalia, one of the world’s poorest countries, faces multiple tribulations, including drought, while the ongoing insurgency by Islamic extremists in capitol, Mogadishu, adds to the nation’s travail.
