UN migration agency warns 874,000 Somalis could be displaced by flooding
IOM projects 874,319 people could be displaced in Somalia between October and December, with flooding behind 92 per cent of it.
The UN migration agency has warned that more than 800,000 people in Somalia could be forced to leave their homes over the next three months by severe flooding, Arab News reported on Wednesday.
New projections developed by IOM with the Danish Refugee Council estimate 874,319 people could be displaced between October and December, with flooding accounting for 92 per cent of the projected displacement, according to Arab News and Anews. The towns of Beletweyne (nearly 229,000 at risk) and Gaalkacyo (about 82,000) face the greatest threat, Anews reported.
“We are looking at the possibility of hundreds of thousands of people losing their homes in just a matter of weeks,” said Manuel Marques Pereira, IOM’s Somalia chief of mission, Arab News reported.
Somalia is entering a rainy season expected to bring above-average rainfall, worsened by the strengthening El Niño, according to the IOM. The UN weather agency said on Wednesday the current El Niño could be unprecedented in strength, while the UN aid chief said Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya need supplies within the next two weeks, Arab News reported.
The IOM said it had secured only about 14 per cent of the $16.62 million needed for El Niño-related flood preparedness and response, according to Arab News. Flood signs are already emerging: rivers approaching flood levels, banks topped, and homes damaged by heavy rainfall, the agency said.
The IOM called for “urgent international support” to scale up preparedness before floodwaters hit, Arab News reported.
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