At least 45 people have been killed and hundreds displaced due to the floods in Yemen’s southern city of Hodeidah, the southwestern city of Taiz and the northwestern city of Hajjah caused by torrential seasonal rain, which started last week and continued for several days. The rainy season in Yemen begins in late March, but rainfall intensifies in July and continues until mid-August.

Yemeni media outlets reported that dozens of people have also been injured, while 5 people have gone missing due to the floods, which blocked roads and forced around 500 families to evacuate their homes.

The heavy rains wreaked havoc in the affected cities, destroying houses, properties and infrastructure. Scores of water wells were buried, many farmlands were destroyed and livestock were drowned. Several vehicles were also swept away in the floods.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on August 6, “More heavy rains across Yemen, this time in Hajjah, have devastated displaced camps and villages, claiming lives and destroying homes. Livestock and crops lost and thousands of families are in crisis.”

More than 28,000 people across Hajjah have been affected by the floods, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which said that response teams are providing emergency relief assistance to approximately 4,112 families.

The chairman of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, ordered local authorities to respond to the affected areas, according to media reports. UNHCR also stated on July 28 that it has been coordinating with its partners “to respond to immediate needs: food, NFIs (Non-Food Items), hygiene kits, clean water, and temporary relocation.”

Yemen’s National Center of Meteorology alerted people that rainstorms may continue across the country, advising them to keep away from flood paths.

Some residents are still trapped inside their homes as the Yemeni authorities have been unable to access areas severely affected by the disaster, according to media reports. 

The floods have aggravated the crisis of war-torn Yemen after more than nine years of deadly conflict that left more than 377,000 people killed. Those killed lost their lives due to consequences of the war, either directly or indirectly, as the Yemeni people have been subjected to violence, starvation, diseases, and displacement, Action Against Hunger reported in March. According to a World Food Program report from 2023, out of a total population of 30 million, nearly 17 million Yemenis were suffering from acute food insecurity and were dependent on food aid provided by WFP and other agencies.

Courtesy: Peoples Dispatch