More Than 5,000 Dead in Libya as Collapsed Dams Worsen Flood Disaster

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In a catastrophe recalling Hurricane Katrina, a heavy storm burst through dams to unleash their waters on the city of Derna, sweeping away entire neighborhoods.

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On 09/12/2023, a local official declared that a dam in the eastern region was overflowing and at risk of collapsing. The Jaza dam, located between Derna and Benghazi, were requiring maintenance to prevent another disaster.

Benghazi is more than 180 miles from Derna by car, and many of the area’s roads had been cut off by the flooding. Derna City Council called for the opening of a maritime passageway to Derna and for urgent international intervention.

The flooding in Libya highlighted how climate change, political conflicts, and economic failure can all contribute to the severity of disasters

The flooding also affected other eastern Libyan villages, including Shahhat, Al-Bayda, and Marj, and caused at least 20,000 people to be displaced.

Libya is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and severe storms. Warming temperatures cause the Mediterranean Sea to expand, raising sea levels and eroding shorelines. This can lead to flooding, especially in low-lying coastal areas of Libya.

A 2021 brief from the Climate Security Expert Network warned that intense storm surges could cause widespread damage to infrastructure in Libya, where most of the population lives in coastal areas.

Medical teams from Tripoli, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates began converging on the region to treat survivors and search for the missing. They arrived in Benghazi on 09/12/2023. Aid groups said they were scaling up their services in the country.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would be sending financial support and other aid to organizations working on the ground in Libya.

Libyans who were unable to reach their loved ones due to communication blackouts turned to Facebook, where groups were flooded with inquiries from relatives of people in Derna.

Libyan television station al-Masar informed that in the city of Derna, at least 5,200 people died

Anas El Gomati, director of the Sadeq Institute, a Libyan policy research center, denounced the incompetence of Libya's political elites and declared that it was a man-made disaster that caused this suffering.

Libya is a North African country that has been in the grip of a civil war for a decade. The country and its infrastructure were unprepared for the recent storm, being neglected due to years of political instability.

The two main political entities that rule Libya today are: the Government of National Unity (GNA), based in Tripoli and recognized by the United Nations; and the Libyan National Army (LNA), based in the east of the country and led by Khalifa Haftar.

There are some signs that Libya's different authorities are working together to coordinate search and rescue efforts.

Libya was ruled autocratically by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi for 42 years until he was overthrown in an uprising in 2011. The country has since been mired in civil war.

Ahmed al-Mismari, spokesman for the Libyan National Army, said the situation was completely unexpected and was the first time Libyans had experienced such severe weather conditions.

President Biden announced on Tuesday that the United States would be providing emergency funds to relief organizations in Libya and coordinating with the Libyan authorities and the United Nations to provide additional support.

NOAA reports that, on average, one or two hurricane-like storms form over the Mediterranean Sea each year, typically in autumn. As greenhouse gas emissions warm the planet, rainstorms of all kinds tend to produce heavier precipitation.

At least 5,000 people are feared dead in Libya after torrential rains caused two dams to burst near the coastal city of Derna. The flooding destroyed much of the city and carried entire neighborhoods into the sea.

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2023

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The New York Times

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Natural disasters

Eastern Libya floods

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https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/12/world/middleeast/libya-floods-dams-collapse.html

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Eastern Libya floods

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Libyan television station al-Masar informed that in the city of Derna, at least 5,200 people died

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There are some signs that Libya's different authorities are working together to coordinate search and rescue efforts.

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