“Unbelievable! UN report documents catastrophic flooding devastation across central Somalia”

The United Nations has reported that the annual rains have left Somalia in a state of devastation. Homes and farmland have been submerged, causing an extensive trail of destruction. Shockingly, floods have caused more than 460,000 people to be impacted, with nearly 219,000 people displaced due to the flooding. According to a statement by Stephane Dujarric, at least five people, including three children, have lost their lives during the flood. The heaviest destruction has been recorded in the Hiiraan region of the central Somali state of Hirshabelle. The population density of the region’s largest city, Beledweyne, has caused thousands of families to be displaced, with the Shabelle River breaking its bank amid heavy rainfall. If the rains persist in Somalia and Ethiopia, up to 1.6 million people could be impacted, with more than 600,000 people being displaced. The flooding has led to the closure of many facilities, including government offices and the main hospital. Residents of Beledweyne are facing the worst flooding the region has ever seen, making it difficult for some to walk this morning due to the amount of water. Notably, Hussein Yusuf said, “This flood is larger than any flooding in recent memory that has ever occurred in this region.” Somalia has incurred a series of crises, including drought conditions and insurgency by Islamic extremist fighters.