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The flash flooding has been described as a once-in-a-century event
Canab Dacar Abdullahi, a mother of seven children, cooking breakfast at her flooded house in Idaan village, Somalia. Photo: Trócaire
Canab Dacar Abdullahi (32), and her seven children, braced inside their makeshift home as the El Nino flash flood ravaged through their village in Gedo, Somalia.
The recent floods have uprooted hundreds of thousands of people in Somalia and neighbouring countries in East Africa following a historic drought earlier this year. The flash flooding has been described by the United Nations as a once-in-a-century event.
A quarter of Somalia’s population is forecast to face “crisis-level hunger or worse” this year due to drought and floods caused by climate change.
“The situation is very dire,” Canab says. “There is a high likelihood for me, and my community being cut off from main supply routes, making it difficult to access basic services.”
People in the Luuq region of Somalia leaving their homes in search of safe shelter. Photo: Trócaire
Women, children and the elderly are the most vulnerable to the heavy flooding. Living in semi-permanent or poorly constructed shelters exacerbates their vulnerability.
Canab says her family survived the flash foods by staying in their home but says they are forced to drink contaminated water.
“We do not have clean water because most of the shallow wells we depended on for clean water were destroyed and contaminated,” Canab says.
In the past two weeks, it is estimated that more than 200,000 people in the Gedo region have been affected by the flooding. With support from the European Union, the Somalia Humanitarian Fund, UK Aid, and UNICEF Somalia, Trócaire is providing healthcare, nutrition, hygiene and medical supplies to those who have been affected.
The floods have severely disrupted transportation systems, limiting movement and resulting in the closure of roads. This has disrupted the supply of essential medical supplies to the most affected groups. While some people have managed to relocate to safer places or have been evacuated, there are still others who have yet to receive assistance.
Halimo and her four children are among those in the camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Luuq district, who have been unable to escape the flooding.
The flooding has caused extensive damage to the camp, leaving many homes flooded.
“During the night, the river overflowed and entered my house, sweeping away all the little things I had and putting us in a difficult situation with a lack of food and water,” Halimo says.
As roads are closed, Halimo has not been able to evacuate or access shelter, food and basic services. Despite the challenging circumstances, Halimo expresses her gratitude towards the community-based services provided by Trócaire as her sick child was able to receive support.
Canogeel Omar, a trained community health worker providing health services in Gedo, Somalia. Photo: Trócaire
Caanogeel Adan Omar, provides health education services to the villages of Belet-Hawa in Gedo Somalia.
“Before El Nino happened, childhood diseases caseloads were normal, but now there is an increase in the number of children with diarrhea and pneumonia,” Caanogeel says.
“During this El Nino disaster, children and women suffered the most because of the floods and poor infrastructure.”
