Floods kill over 20, displace thousands in Ethiopia

In the Somali region of Ethiopia, flash flooding brought on by heavy rainfall has resulted in over 20 fatalities and over 12,000 displaced persons, the regional authorities reported on Saturday.

The rain has wrecked roads and bridges, making it impossible to get to impacted households, according to a statement from the Somali Regional State Communication Bureau. Property, agricultural, and animal damage has also been recorded.

“So far, the flood has claimed the lives of almost 20 people… According to the statement, almost 12,000 families have been forced to relocate.

Forecasts and increasing rainfall indicate that there is still a considerable risk of flooding.

OCHA, the UN body in charge of humanitarian affairs, predicted last month that eastern Africa would probably have more rain than usual between October and December due to the El Nino phenomenon.

El Nino is a naturally occurring phenomenon linked to global warming, drought in certain regions, and abundant rainfall in others.

One of the areas most at risk from climate change is the Horn of Africa, where extreme weather events are happening more frequently and intensely.

In late 2020, the worst drought to hit the region in forty years hit Somalia, along with portions of Ethiopia and Kenya.

After two months of nonstop rain in numerous East African countries, at least 265 people lost their lives and tens of thousands were forced to flee their homes at the end of 2019.

Nearly two million people were impacted by the intense rains, which also destroyed tens of thousands of animals in Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan,Tanzania and Uganda.