MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Monday launched a national flood preparedness and response plan with Somali authorities weeks after thousands of people displaced by floods in the country.
In a statement, UN humanitarian agency said it would launch a rapid needs assessment on Tuesday, together with its partners.
“According to early estimates by our partners, more than 460,000 people have been affected, including nearly 219,000 people who have been displaced,” the statement said. “Homes and farmland have been inundated, livestock have been washed away,”
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) sent early-warning text messages to 5,000 farmers across Hirshabelle State, where the Shabelle River overflowed its banks, forcing thousands of people to move to higher ground, OCHA said.
The office said the FAO and partners provided sandbags, shovels, and other supplies to help clear drains and mitigate flooding in Hirshabelle. The WFP is sending 17 tons of high-energy biscuits and has provided boats to reach people in flooded areas.
“Should heavy rains continue in Somalia and in the Ethiopian highlands, our partners estimate that up to 1.6 million people could be impacted, with more than 600,000 people displaced,” OCHA said. “The rains also increase the risk of outbreaks of waterborne diseases.”
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