Severe flooding affects at least 150 000 across Yemen
At least 150 000 people have been affected by severe flooding across Yemen since mid-April, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported. 15 people have also lost their lives, many others were injured, and 7 000 have been displaced, according to the Islamic Relief.
Approximately 21 240 households or 148 680 have been impacted in 13 governorates since April, including 6 286 families in Marib Governorate, 9 146 in Sana'a, and northern governorates, and 5 130 in Hajjah Governorate.
Conditions were even worse for thousands of families already displaced who have lost homes, food rations, and supplies. About 4 764 families have been impacted in sites for Internally Displaced People (IDP) in southern governorates, including 1 812 families in Aden, 1 037 in Abyan, 917 in Taizz, and 770 in Lahj.
"Most are now without shelter; they’re cold and hungry," a camp management staff in Aden said.
Flooding also poses a heightened risk of diseases such as malaria and cholera, OCHA added. More than 110 000 cases of suspected cholera have already been recorded across 290 districts out of 333 since January 2020, with fears that the number of cases will spiral.
The Islamic Relief reported at least 15 fatalities so far, while many others have been severely injured. At least 7 000 people have been displaced amidst the flooding, and the figures are feared to increase.
The governorates seeing the most significant impacts are Sana'a city, Sana'a, Marib, Aden, and Lahj.
In response to the disaster, the Islamic Relief has provided food aid to families in the Sana'a governorate. The agency said they are continuing to monitor the situation, and they are in talks with other organizations to coordinate the response, such as the UN.
“People told me to stay at home due to #Coronavirus, but they don’t know that I lost my house in the floods. I don't have a home anymore.” – Saeed from Sana’a, #Yemen.
Yemen has endured years of war. Now a pandemic threatens. Then devastating floods hit. #YemenCantWait pic.twitter.com/AeLzzwPfno— WFP Yemen (@WFPYemen) May 18, 2020
An update on some of our work here in Southern #Yemen: We have been able to respond to the floods with over 1,200 hygiene kits, hundreds of non-food items, shelter solutions, and de-sludging 100s of cubic meters of water/waste: https://t.co/96g45TFHIF pic.twitter.com/pZbU90v54Y
— Angus Pollard (@Angus_Pollard) May 11, 2020
So far over 1,000 families whose homes were damaged by recent floods in Sana'a, #Yemen, have received food assistance to help them through this difficult time. More distributions are due to take place over the next week. #YemeCantWait pic.twitter.com/tI2gE702YV
— WFP Yemen (@WFPYemen) May 7, 2020
Immediate support for families hit by floods in #Yemen is essential. @WFP is distributing ready to eat food and high energy biscuits to IDP families whose houses were damaged.#YemenCantWait pic.twitter.com/xE1jBTSPPJ
— WFP Yemen (@WFPYemen) May 5, 2020
Featured image credit: WFP Yemen
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