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Extreme flooding ravaged the eastern Libyan city of Derna, which was the worst-hit area
As Hurricane Daniel swept through Europe, northeastern Libya was hit by catastrophic flooding. The worst flooding in North Africa since 1927 hit northeastern Libya, particularly the city of Derna, on September 10, causing extensive damage and casualties. The floods have aroused widespread concern and assistance from the international community.
At that time, Hurricane Daniel made landfall in northeastern Libya, causing a continuous torrential rain. Several cities, including Beida and Tobruk, were hit by flooding, but the worst impact was concentrated in the coastal city of Derna. Derna was the hardest hit because floodwaters washed away two surrounding dams that had fallen into disrepair, flooding the city of Derna, which has a population of 100,000.
As of the evening of the 12th local time, the government in eastern Libya has recovered the remains of more than 1,500 victims, while officials estimate that the number of victims may exceed 5,000. In addition, Ramadan, the Special Envoy of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, estimates that at least 10,000 people remain missing and more than 40,000 left homeless in Derna. The flood became the worst in North Africa since 1927, with more people predicted to die than those in Algeria that year.
The devastating power of the floods has been exacerbated by Libya's long civil war and political rivalries. Libya has been in a state of civil war since the fall of the Gaddafi regime, and there are currently two opposing governments, which add to the impact and destruction of the floods.
The collapse of the dam was one of the main causes of flooding. Two dams upstream of Derna collapsed, causing floodwaters to rage along the river, destroying three bridges and washing homes into the sea, according to a government spokesman for eastern Libya. Derna is currently without electricity and the city is covered in silt, fallen trees, cars and the remains of buildings. Mandenod, deputy mayor of the city of Derna, said he understood that at least 20 percent of the area of Derna had been washed away by flooding.
It is worth noting that Libya's National Meteorological Center issued a flood warning 72 hours before Hurricane Daniel made landfall, but this warning was not delivered to the hardest-hit city of Derna. Local residents said they had not been warned of the flooding and the government had not made an evacuation plan. The only alarm was the loud noise of the dam collapsing, which made people aware of the flooding.
In addition, the confrontation between the eastern and western governments of Libya also had a negative impact on the rescue operation. Libya's central bank is responsible for providing relief funds to the affected areas, but the rivalry between the two governments makes it difficult to circulate the relief funds. Derna Deputy Mayor Mandenord said they were waiting for air relief supplies from neighboring Algeria and called on the international community to help.
Turkey, Italy, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt have announced rescue teams to the affected areas, while the government in western Libya has announced $400 million worth of supplies for the reconstruction of Derna and other eastern towns.
The flooding also revealed the vulnerability of the infrastructure of the city of Derna. Much of Derna's modern infrastructure was built during the Gaddafi regime, and flooding destroyed one of the dams, built in the 1970s. Mandenord revealed that the two dams have not been maintained since 2002, with one dam only 70 meters high.
Libya has been mired in a nearly 10-year civil war since the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime. The city of Derna, once a stronghold of extremist groups, has been repeatedly attacked by the Egyptian military. In 2019, the commander-in-chief of the National Army, Haftar, took control of Derna, but due to distrust of the inhabitants, he did not order a large-scale reconstruction. It wasn't until last year that the eastern Libyan government developed a plan for the reconstruction of Drna, but it was not implemented by the local government of Derna, but from Benghazi, where the eastern government is located.
Libya's full
The Civil War lasted until 2020. In the civil war, the western and eastern governments were supported by different foreign forces, which exacerbated the instability in the country. The UN-recognized government of national unity in the West is supported by Turkey, Qatar and Italy, while Haftar is supported by Egypt, Russia, Jordan, the UAE and France.
In 2019, Haftar briefly invaded the Libyan capital Tripoli, and Turkey and Qatar sent additional troops to help the western government block Haftar's offensive. After 14 months of fighting, Haftar was forced to withdraw from Tripoli. Subsequently, with multinational mediation, the western and eastern governments of Libya reached a ceasefire agreement.
However, despite the ceasefire, the political situation in Libya remains volatile. General elections originally planned for 2021 have not been held, resulting in the country's political unification delayed. Sporadic exchanges of fire between pro-western and pro-eastern government forces continue, with at least 45 people killed in the recent exchange of fire in Tripoli.
Shanib, chairman of the National Committee on U.S.-Libya Relations, said the floods in Libya were not just natural disasters, but mostly man-made, tragedies caused by a long war and neglect of infrastructure.
To sum up, the flooding in the eastern Libyan city of Derna was a serious humanitarian disaster, causing thousands of casualties and huge property damage. The disaster revealed the destructive power of Libya's political turmoil and civil war on the country, as well as long-neglected infrastructure problems. The international community has provided assistance and hopes to help rebuild the city of Derna and other affected towns, while contributing to the political and social stability of Libya. However, to achieve this goal, the cooperation and efforts of all parties are needed to put an end to political confrontation and achieve national unity and development.
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