China’s New Plan to Bring Taiwan Back into the Fold
September 13, 2023
Common Enemies Yield Good Friendships, Putin-Kim Summit
September 15, 2023
By Tahsin Khan
On Tuesday, September 12, the Mediterranean coast region of northeastern Libya was struck by a flood. Derna, the worst-affected city, is located around 300 kilometers (190 miles) east of Benghazi, the second-largest city in Libya. Derna, a city of about 100,000 people, suffered significant harm. In the eastern Libyan city of Derna, a catastrophic flood has killed thousands of people, swept away entire neighborhoods and their occupants, and washed countless bodies out to sea. There are thousands of individuals missing.
Causes
Tropical storm Daniel pounded several Mediterranean nations before it rushed into Libya over the weekend and dumped record amounts of rain there. A typically dry riverbed, or wadi, in the hills south of Derna, was flooded with rain from the storm. Two dams that were intended to safeguard the city from floods could not withstand the pressure. When they fell, a torrent burst forth and flooded the city. Riverbanks were destroyed, riverbanks flooded out, and two dams that were higher up the wadi burst, contributing to the flood with their waters.
Destruction and Casualties
According to the United Nations migration agency, at least 30,000 people have been forced to leave their homes, and at least a fifth of the city has seen significant damage. It’s estimated that 11,000 people died. The Red Crescent estimates that up to 20,000 people died, but Derna mayor Abdulmenam Al-Ghaithi worries that it might be higher. only in the port city. The areas that have been most seriously destroyed are found along the wadi’s banks, which cut through the middle of the city. Entire communities built on embankments have either been destroyed or substantially damaged. Important infrastructure has also been destroyed, including the city’s bridges.
Trees were uprooted by the water, and several cars—including the balcony on the second level of a building—were left toppled or stuck on their sides. The majority of the cityscape is now covered in muck. Power and water supplies were interrupted after the flood. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that as of Wednesday, internet access and partial restoration of electricity had both been achieved.
Rescue Operations
According to OCHA, Derna is dealing with catastrophic infrastructure damage, including the loss of all three bridges, which greatly hampers relief operations. Rescue operations are in progress, but getting to Derna is difficult due to bridges that have been cut off and obstructed highways. In eastern Libya, where devastating floods left hundreds dead and thousands more missing, search and rescue teams were at work on Thursday. Following Sunday’s floodwaters, the precise toll remained unknown. Othman Abduljaleel, the health minister for eastern Libya, was reported by the Associated Press as claiming that 3,000 dead had been buried and another 2,000 were still being processed. Three days after the dams collapsed and drove death and damage through the streets of Derna and other coastal towns, Libyan authorities established a unified operation room to direct the reaction late Wednesday. Essam Abu Zeriba, the interior minister for the administration in eastern Libya, outlined the strategy and stated that the joint operations room will collaborate with the security forces. Rescue activities are being carried out in Libya by volunteers and rescuers from all over the world, but the situation there is worse.
Foreign Aid
According to the foreign minister of Spain, the government would provide one million euros ($1.07 million) to aid flood victims in Libya. To help families impacted by the devastating flood in Derna, the British government has approved an initial relief package worth up to one million pounds ($1.25 million).
The UK stated that it was collaborating with local partners to determine which fundamental necessities, such as housing, healthcare, and sanitation, were most essential. According to official media, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt has ordered the establishment of camps in the west of the nation to house flood survivors in neighboring Libya. In response to Libya’s pressing need, certain governments have offered or are planning to offer the following assistance: Qatar: At least two aircraft carried humanitarian goods, including water pumps, tents, blankets, and supplies for a field hospital. Turkey: The foreign ministry of Turkey said that three planes would be sent to convey a rescue crew and humanitarian supplies. 168 people, two search and rescue trucks, and two rescue boats will make up the rescue crew. Italy said that a delegation headed for Libya that included firemen and civil protection authorities UAE: The United Arab Emirates has dispatched two relief aircraft with 150 tonnes of critical food, supplies, and medical equipment. Emergency funding is also being released by the United Nations, the European Union, and the US.
Challenges
It has been challenging for Libya to maintain its infrastructure throughout the past ten years of political unrest. The nation is governed by conflicting regimes, including an oppositional eastern government that is in charge of Derna and a western administration with its headquarters in Tripoli. A lot of armed organizations are powerful. The disparity between the reported death toll and the estimated death toll highlighted the chaos and inefficiency of a devastating natural catastrophe in a nation split by conflicting administrations. Politicians on both sides of the country’s split, including Guma El-Gamaty, who attributed the problem to “failure of the state, weak mechanisms, weak governments, and weak institutions,” are demanding for an investigation. According to analysts, the politically fractious environment in Libya makes it more difficult to conduct rescue operations and provide humanitarian supplies. Nations must choose between sending supplies to the capital and Haftar’s parallel government in Benghazi.
Most nations have so far provided relief to Benghazi, which is the nearest large city to Derna and the communities that surround it. However, Algeria supplies the 1,000-mile-away government in Tripoli that is recognised by the UN.
The writer is the student of Peace and Conflict Studies at National Defence University, Islamabad.
