The United Nations has described floods that uprooted hundreds of thousands of people in Somalia and neighboring countries in East Africa following a historic drought as a once-in-a-century event. The heavy seasonal downpours could affect around 1.6 million people in Somalia, which will further strain already vulnerable communities.
Flooding was caused by rivers that had overflown their banks in the worst-affected areas. Homes, schools, and health centers have been damaged. Livestock have been killed or swept away, compounding previous drought-related livestock losses. Inadequate access to water and sanitation facilities increases the risk of acute watery diarrhea and cholera outbreaks.
In Somaliland and Puntland, the floodwaters contaminated water sources and overflowed latrines, further aggravating existing outbreaks of these diseases. The influx of people also adds to the strain on food markets, driving up prices and further jeopardizing livelihoods.
The disasters have pushed humanitarian needs to new highs in a country already weakened by 20 years of conflict and instability. An estimated 2 million people require urgent assistance. Many families have lost their crops, livestock, and other assets. The soaring price of staple foods and other commodities has further aggravated the impact of the drought and contributed to an increase in malnutrition, especially among children. Drought and floods have created one of the world’s most significant humanitarian emergencies.
Humanitarian agencies are distributing food and water to those displaced by the floods, including a girl who lives with her family in Beledweyne, Somaliland. “When we first saw the rain, we were happy. But now it has ruined everything,” she said. “There is no water, no shelter, and no food.”
This year’s floods were exacerbated by the confluence of two climate phenomenons: El Nino and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). Both affect local weather systems, but their effects are magnified when interacting in regions with low latitudes and dry seasons, such as East Africa.
The IOD is a natural weather phenomenon characterized by an oscillation in sea surface temperatures between an excellent western pole in the Arabian Sea and a warm eastern pole in the Indian Ocean south of Indonesia. The oscillation, which lasts for a few years, alters the temperature gradient and the prevailing wind pattern, thus affecting rainfall patterns in the region. Human activities, such as land-use change and deforestation, often exacerbate the effect. During an IOD, the air and moisture from the Pacific rise over the Indian Ocean, causing it to become warmer and wetter. The increased warmth and moisture trigger a storm cycle, resulting in cyclones, flooding, and erosion. The resulting devastation destroys livelihoods, crops, and infrastructure. In Somalia, where agricultural production is poor, this has exacerbated the food crisis and made it difficult for herders to find feed for their animals. This has added to a growing hunger crisis, with the number of people needing emergency assistance rising to 91 percent of the population. This is the highest level of extreme hunger in Somalia since the famine of 1992.
