By Adrian B. Wilson.
Flooding has compelled nearly a quarter of a million people to escape their residences after the Shabelle River in central Somalia overflowed, inundating the town of Beledweyne, even as the nation grapples with its most severe drought in forty years, according to government reports.
Aid organizations and researchers have cautioned that climate change is a significant factor intensifying humanitarian crises, while those affected bear minimal responsibility for CO2 emissions.
Seasonal rainfall in Somalia and upstream in the Ethiopian highlands instigated flash floods that swept away homes, crops, and livestock, abruptly shutting down schools and hospitals in Beledweyne, the capital of the Hiraan region, local inhabitants reported.
“At once, the entire city was submerged. Beledweyne became akin to an ocean,” remarked shopkeeper Ahmed Nur, whose store was washed away.
“Only the rooftops of the houses were visible. We utilized small boats and tractors to rescue individuals,” he recounted.
Nur has been staying with relatives on the outskirts of the city, which just weeks prior had been rejoicing over the end of the devastating drought.
“Rain arrived, and we were delighted. People planted their crops,” he shared.
The drought, along with violence and a rise in food prices caused by the conflict in Ukraine, resulted in the deaths of approximately 43,000 individuals last year, according to United Nations statistics.
Since the middle of March, the floods have impacted over 460,000 nationally and claimed 22 lives, as per the U.N. humanitarian office (OCHA).
The Somali Disaster Management Agency reported that the floods in Beledweyne alone have displaced more than 245,000 individuals.
“Recovery from six consecutive seasons of inadequate rainfall will require time,” OCHA stated in a report dated May 14.
The rains are replenishing water supplies and allowing vegetation to regrow; however, significantly more rainfall is necessary to effectively mitigate the effects of the recent drought, OCHA mentioned in a report.
After enduring consecutive disasters, at least one resident of Beledweyne, Halima Abdullahi, expressed her exhaustion, making her one of the 216 million individuals the World Bank predicts may be forced to relocate within their own country by 2050 due to climate pressure.
“We will migrate to distant villages,” said the mother of two children. “Beledweyne no longer exists.”
