Catastrophic Flooding in Libya Kills Over 11,000

Updated September 15, 2023, 2:00 p.m. EST

• Officials estimate that at least 11,300 people died in the Libya floods. An additional 10,100 people are reported missing in the city of Derna, according to Marie el-Drese, secretary general of the Libyan Red Crescent.
• The death toll is feared to reach 20,000 — a fifth of the city's population.
• Rescuers are searching underwater and under rubble, attempting to clean up as many dead as possible to avoid an outbreak of disease. 
• Mayor Abdel Moneim al-Ghaithi said on Wednesday night:

"The situation is very large and surprising for the city of Derna. We were not able to confront it with our capabilities that preceded the storm and the torrent."

Updated September 12, 2023, 4:30 p.m.

• It's been confirmed by local authorities that the floods killed more than 5,000 people, and at least 20,000 people have been displaced. The death toll and missing persons count is expected to rise in the coming days. 
• The Libyan government is receiving criticism for failing to warn or evacuate residents as the storm showcased its destructiveness in Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria last week. Anas El Gomati, director of the policy research center Sadeq Institute, said:

"We say Mother Nature, but this is the act of man — it's the incompetence of Libya's political elites. There's no words you can find to describe the biblical level of suffering those people have to endure."

What’s the story?

• After torrential rain from Storm Daniel in northeast Libya caused two dams to collapse, extreme flooding hit the region, resulting in at least 3,000 deaths. Another 10,000 people are believed to be missing. 
• The powerful low-pressure storm system swept across several cities in Libya and brought catastrophic flooding to Greece. Daniel then turned into a medicane, a tropical cyclone, in the Mediterranean.
• Water engineers said it’s likely that the upper dam, around eight miles from the city, failed first. As the water rushed down the river valley, the second dam collapsed about half a mile away from the low-lying part of the city of Derna.

Devastation in Derna

• Derna has seen the worst of the destruction. According to authorities, entire neighborhoods have been washed away, and around 6,000 people are missing. Othman Abduljalil, health minister in Libya’s eastern administration, called the aftermath “catastrophic.”
• Hospitals are no longer operational in the city, and morgues are full. Osama Aly, a spokesperson for the Emergency and Ambulance service, said dead bodies are piling up outside the morgues, as there’s nowhere to put them.
• Anas Barghathy, a doctor volunteering in Derna, said:

“There are no first-hand emergency services. People are working at the moment to collect the rotting bodies.”

Libya’s government 

• Libya is especially vulnerable to deadly disasters because of the power struggle between the two administrations, amounting to long-running political tension and conflict. 
• Political chaos has weighed on the nation since 2011 when dictator Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed, and the country was split into two leaderships. In the northwest, the Government of National Unity is an internationally recognized administration operating from the capital of Tripoli, led by Abdulhamid Dbeibeh and backed by the U.N. Its rival parliament, where Derna lies, is led by Osama Hamad and controlled by commander Khalifa Haftar and the Libyan National Army (LNA). 
• According to Libyan journalist Abdulkader Assad, the response to the natural disaster has been delayed due to the unorganized and tense political system:

“There are no rescue teams, there are no trained rescuers in Libya. Everything over the last 12 years was about war. There are two governments in Libya…and that is actually slowing down the help that is coming to Libya because it’s a little bit confusing. You have people who are pledging to help but help is not coming.”

How to help

• Islamic Relief Worldwide launched an appeal seeking financial aid to provide food, blankets, mattresses, and more to families impacted by the floods. You can learn more about their efforts and donate here. 
• CARE International has been providing humanitarian relief in Libya since 2021, helping people access healthcare, education, safe drinking water, and sanitation resources. You can donate here. 
• The International Medical Corps has an on-the-ground team in Libya helping to provide shelter, health services, water, sanitation, and hygiene services to those impacted by the flood. You can donate here. 

Share to help Libyan communities impacted by the flood.

-Jamie Epstein 

(Photo credit: Al Jazeera)