Somalia’s catastrophic flooding forces masses to flee in the aftermath of a fatal drought – the confusion and chaos is palpable!

BELEDWEYNE, Somalia – Amidst a wave of chaos and destruction, the River Shabelle has overflowed its banks in Beledweyne, leaving thousands of Somalia residents displaced.

Incessant outpourings of rain have led to catastrophic flooding in central Somalia causing significant damage to towns and villages. The United Nations’ humanitarian response agency (OCHA) warns that with the collapse of local infrastructure, the situation could worsen with a subsequent increase in life-threatening diseases such as cholera running rampant.

Locals, shaken by the perilous situation, are fleeing for safety en masse.

“We fled from the flash floods that submerged the city like so many others. People ran out of the city to safety. For four days, the floods poured massively into the city.” says local resident, Abdihafid Mohamed Yusuf.

The flash floods have also caused substantial damage to businesses. This has led to a significant reduction in the presence of customers, lamented shopkeeper, Nur Abdulle Hassan.

Last year, natural disasters resulted in over 32.6 million internally displaced people worldwide. This year, the floods in Somalia have forced almost the entire population of some regions to move out.

“90 percent of the local towns have fled. 10 percent are still in the town because they have been stranded or they live in the highlands.” Deputy Governor of the Hiran Region, Hassan Ibrahim Abdulle said, further elaborating the devastating impact the floods have had on the region.

Months of drought have brought famine to the region which killed tens of thousands of people and wiped out crops and livestock; hence, these floods have only added fuel to the fire. Many families may be forced into destitution as a result of the current situation.