Violent floods in the Horn of Africa have killed more than 100 people and driven nearly 700,000 people from their homes as the region is hit hard by the El Nino weather phenomenon.
“Fifty people died in the disaster while 687,235 people were forced to flee their homes,” Mohamud Moalim Abdullahi, director of Somalia’s Disaster Management Agency, said at a press briefing on Monday.
“The rains expected between November 21 and 24 risk causing further flooding which could cause deaths and destruction,” he added.
On Saturday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the number of people displaced by heavy rains and floods in Somalia had “almost doubled in a week”, while 1.7 million people in total were affected by the disaster.
“In addition, roads, bridges and airstrips have been damaged in several regions, affecting the movement of people and supplies and leading to an increase in prices of basic commodities,” OCHA said.