The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) estimates that nearly 10,000 people have disappeared in eastern Libya due to the devastating floods caused by Storm Daniel. Initial reports from both government and non-governmental organizations put the death toll at over 2,000 so far, although this number is expected to rise as search operations begin in the coming hours. The city of Derna (120,000 inhabitants) on the northwest coast of the country is most affected. More than 480 houses were destroyed and five neighborhoods were completely devastated by torrential rains. Added to this was the collapse of two dams that were discharging 33 million cubic meters of water into the city.
The lack of resources and difficult access to these mountainous areas have forced rescue teams and citizens to use household appliances to pull hundreds of victims from the rubble and bury them in mass graves at the Martouba cemetery, about 20 kilometers from Derna. The European Union showed this Tuesday its willingness to send aid and emergency materials to Libya. Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign policy, deplored the images of “devastation” and said the bloc “stands ready to provide support.” Tripoli confirmed that Spain, Italy and Canada had expressed their willingness to support rescue efforts.
The crisis committee formed by the Government of National Unity (GUN), based in the Libyan capital Tripoli, said on Monday that the work was divided into three axes: rescuing citizens, helping those displaced – which it said numbered 20,000 to the Red Crescent – and the recording of material damage and its reconstruction. “We will start limiting the damage from Tuesday and repairing it in the communities where weather conditions have stabilized,” said Local Government Minister Badr al Din al Toumi.
The GUN has pledged that the state will compensate all those affected by the floods and ordered three days of national mourning and ordered that flags be lowered to half-mast across the country. After passing through Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria, Cyclone Daniel was downgraded to a subtropical storm on September 9 and began weakening this Sunday as it moved towards neighboring Egypt, according to a report from the Arab Regional Meteorological Center.
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After a decade of internal fighting, Libya remains divided between two governments, one in the east and one in the west. Each is supported by various foreign authorities. GUN leader Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibé thanked “the messages of support and solidarity from friendly countries,” including Spain, the United States, Italy, Tunisia, Turkey, France and the Netherlands. For his part, General Khalifa Haftar, allied with the authorities in the country’s second city, Benghazi, thanked the offer of Arab countries that had sent urgent help.
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