Over 4,000 displaced by floods in Somalia’s Hiiraan region
The main city of the region, Belet Weyne, is situated in a low-lying area, and during rainy seasons the water of more than 20 nearby valleys flow into it. The Shabelle river, which flows from Ethiopia, runs through the middle of the city.
By The Star Staff Writer
MOGADISHU – A heavy downpour and flash floods have displaced more than 4,000 people in the flood-prone Somali region of Hiiraan, where also the Shabelle river burst its banks, said an official.
The bulk of the residents in Koshin and Hawo Tako estates of Belet Weyne have left their submerged homes and sought refugee in villages outside the city, said Mohamed Osman Abdi ” Macalin Qalafow” the commissioner of the region
Abdi said he toured along with humanitarian aid agencies the flood affected areas and set up 18-member team to work on how best the displaced people can be assisted.
“The misery is immeasurable, “ Ali told the national radio station, Radio Mogadishu, noting that villagers living on the outskirts of Belet Weyene have also abandoned their homes due to the raging floods.
The main city of the region, Belet Weyne, is situated in a low-lying area, and during rainy seasons the water of more than 20 nearby valleys flow into it. The Shabelle river, which flows from Ethiopia, runs through the middle of the city.
Contrary to earlier predictions, the country has this year received an enhanced spring rain, or Gu’, the nation’s primary cropping season. The flash floods that racked across the country have rendered roads impassible, cutting off towns from one another and creating a looming humanitarian crisis.
The regional bloc of IGAD predicted in its Feb. 13 regional climate outlook report that much of the country would receive “ a normal to below normal rainfall season between March and May 2018.”
According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, or FOA, about 75 percent of the annual rainfall in the country is recorded during the Gu’ season.