A week following the catastrophic inundation of the Libyan coastal city of Derna, which claimed the lives of thousands, the focus has shifted to providing care for the survivors.
Estimates of the death toll vary significantly. The most recent official figure, as reported by the health minister of the eastern-based administration, Othman Abdeljalil, stands at 3,166 lives lost. However, a United Nations report released on Sunday indicates that the toll in Derna alone has climbed to 11,300, with another 10,100 individuals still unaccounted for.
Aid is now pouring into the North African nation as the global community rallies to support emergency services in coping with the aftermath of this deadly deluge.
At least 40,000 people have been displaced across northeastern Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration, with the actual number likely higher due to difficulties accessing the hardest-hit areas.
The disaster was triggered when two dams upstream from Derna burst under the torrential rains brought by the hurricane-strength Storm Daniel. These dams had been constructed to safeguard the port city of 100,000 people after it suffered severe flooding in the mid-20th century.
A week later, bodies are still being discovered, with rescue teams making grim findings.
International assistance is arriving from the United Nations, Europe, and the Middle East, providing much-needed relief to the thousands of survivors. This aid includes essential medicines, surgical supplies, and body bags for the deceased. Tents, blankets, carpets, hygiene kits, and food are also being airlifted in, along with heavy machinery to aid in debris removal.
- Questions Arise –
The devastation exacerbated by Storm Daniel’s flooding has raised questions about why this disaster was not prevented, especially when cracks in the dams were known about since 1998.
An investigation into the circumstances leading to the dam collapse has been announced by the Prosecutor General Al-Seddik Al-Sour.
Like much of Libya’s crumbling infrastructure, the two dams that were meant to protect Derna had fallen into disrepair amid years of neglect and conflict in the country, which descended into chaos after the NATO-backed uprising that ousted and killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.
Libya currently operates under two rival administrations that have been vying for control since Kadhafi’s ousting.
With tens of thousands of people displaced, aid organizations have sounded the alarm about the risks posed by unexploded ordnance and landmines, some of which floodwaters have relocated into areas previously declared clear.
Waterborne diseases, including cholera, pose a high risk according to aid groups.
Outside Derna, the floods claimed an additional 170 lives, as reported in the UN’s assessment. The National Centre for Disease Control noted that at least 55 children fell ill due to drinking contaminated water in Derna.
To assist the hundreds of thousands of individuals in need, the UN has initiated an appeal for over $71 million.
The scale of the devastation has prompted displays of solidarity, with volunteers in Tripoli gathering aid for flood victims.
Survivors in Derna, while mourning the loss of loved ones, are grateful to be alive.
“In this city, every single family has been affected,” said Derna resident Mohammad al-Dawali.
Seir Mohammed Seir, a member of the security forces, recounted the survival of a three-month-old girl amid the tragedy, as her entire family perished.
