United Nations Relief Chief, Martin Griffiths has expressed deep concern about the flood disaster in Libya.
At least 10,000 people are feared missing in Libya in floods after tropical cyclone, Storm Daniel hit the country on Sunday, September 10, 2023, causing severe damage, notably in the city of Derna.
According to the interior ministry of eastern Libya’s administration, the death toll has risen to at least 5,200 people.
“I am deeply concerned by the deadly flood emergency unfolding in Libya,” Griffiths noted on Tuesday, September 12, 2023.
“Our thoughts are with the affected people. Emergency teams are being mobilized to help on the ground,” he added.
Meanwhile, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Chief, Jagan Chapagain, disclosed that three Red Crescent volunteers have died while helping victims of devastating floods in eastern Libya.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) made an urgent appeal for funding to help the victims of the floods in Libya.
Dax Bennet Roque, the NRC’s country Director for Libya, noted in a statement, “Humanitarian aid groups in Libya have been chronically underfunded.”
“Now is the time to show solidarity with the people and help them on the long way back to recovery,” he added.
Also on Tuesday, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced support and solidarity with Libya.
“May God have mercy on our brothers who lost their lives due to the flood disaster in Libya. I wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” Erdogan noted in a post on X.
He revealed that Turkey will send 170 tents, 600 blankets, 400 food boxes, 20 generators, 1,000 raincoats, 500 boots and 500 flashlights as part of its aid package to Libya.
Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi also said that Tehran was ready to dispatch medical and pharmaceutical aid to Libya in response to the flood.
Flood Labelled As “Human Disaster”
Hani Shennib, President of the National Council on US-Libya Relations, called the inundation a “human disaster,” adding that it is“the straw that has broken the camel’s back.”
“The erosions in the dams in Derna are not new. They have been reported repeatedly, including in scientific journals from 2011 and moving on. No official has paid attention to it,” Shennib said.
“This is not just a natural disaster, this is a human disaster as well as a result of the neglect of the city,” he added.
Moreover, Shennib asserted that the east-west political divide in Libya has a major impact on how services are provided, including disaster relief.
“I have visited Derna quite frequently. I have been shocked that a city of 100,000 people does not have a single hospital that is functioning,” he said.
“The only hospital that is functioning in Derna today is a rented villa that has five bedrooms providing the services to the population. This is not new. This is going on for 42 years. It has caused the alienation and political turmoil since the days of [late longtime ruler Muammar] Gaddafi.
“Every Minister of Health and Prime Minister would drop by Derna, would make statements about supporting the city and then ignore it completely.”
Hani Shennib
Furthermore, Mahmoud Iftessi from Libya’s National Economic and Social Development Board stated that the dams destroyed by the flood were not properly maintained after decades of government neglect, which led to the catastrophe.
“These two dams exploded. As far as urban planning, people were building homes along the river. We have been through mass chaos for 50 years so that’s the problem,” he told a news agency.
“The disaster is beyond the capacity of the Libyan infrastructure. If there is any other word more severe than disaster – we can call it that,” he added.
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