Why is the Libyan flood so severe?, 1/4 of the land was destroyed, and tens of thousands of people died in just one city in Libya | Daniel | Floods
According to Xinhua News Agency and CCTV News, Hurricane Daniel hit eastern Libya on September 10th, causing severe flooding. Local officials predict that as many as 20000 people may have died in the heavily affected city of Delna alone. Analysis suggests that, in addition to geographical and meteorological factors, the continuous wars leading to local government fragmentation are also one of the reasons why this flood was so severe.
An unprecedented disaster
On September 10th, Hurricane Daniel made landfall along the eastern Mediterranean coast of Libya and caused severe flooding, with cities such as Delna severely affected. Officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross in Libya said that the city of Delna was hit by floodwaters with waves as high as 7 meters.
Officials from the Libyan emergency department said that about a quarter of the city of Derna was destroyed by floods and almost flattened. On site footage shows that the neighborhood is covered in ruins and walls, with a scene of devastation. In satellite images, the former scene of abundant aircraft is replaced by a yellow brown ruin.
Floods have caused a large number of casualties. The Libyan Red Crescent Society announced on the 14th that the number of deaths in the city of Delna has risen to 11300, with over 10000 people missing. Delna Mayor Gais predicts that as many as 20000 people may have died in the city alone, higher than current estimates. The population of the city was originally about 100000.
The Delna City Emergency and First Aid Center announced on the 14th that the city has entered the highest level of emergency.
This disaster has attracted widespread attention from the international community. Spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary General, Diyaric, said that the United Nations team in Libya is mobilizing resources and emergency teams on site to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to the people in the disaster area.
Martin Griffith, Deputy Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs at the United Nations, stated that the scale of this disaster is shocking.
"This is an unprecedented disaster," said WHO Director General Tedros at a press conference held at Geneva headquarters on the 14th. The World Health Organization will allocate $2 million from the Emergency Response Fund to provide emergency relief to affected areas in Libya.
The World Food Programme has stated that after a thorough assessment, food will be transported to the disaster stricken areas in northeastern Libya.
"Spark" and hidden dangers
On the surface, the trigger for this disaster was Hurricane Daniel. On September 4th, a storm formed over Greece and swept across central Greece, bringing heavy rainfall to the area and causing flooding.
It is worth mentioning that due to the record breaking high temperature weather in Europe this summer, the temperature of the Mediterranean sea is very high. During its southward journey to the Mediterranean, the storm over Greece absorbed a large amount of warm water vapor and evolved into Hurricane Daniel. Therefore, some analysts suggest that this disaster has once again sounded the alarm for addressing climate change.
On September 10th, Hurricane Daniel made landfall along the eastern Mediterranean coast of Libya. In the city of Delna, two upstream dams collapsed and floods poured down the valley like a tsunami, rushing towards the city center of Delna. Due to the incident occurring at night, many people were washed away by floods while sleeping. It is worth mentioning that the city of Delna is located in a valley with lower terrain and is more susceptible to flooding.
But some public opinion questions: Hurricane Daniel also hit Greece and other places, why has it caused so much damage to Libya?
In fact, years of war have laid hidden dangers for this flood. In 2011, Western countries such as the United States intervened in Libya and supported the opposition in overthrowing the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
Afterwards, the political situation in Libya was turbulent and plunged into long-term internal turmoil. On the one hand, the Libyan National Unity Government recognized by the United Nations and the armed forces that support it control parts of the western region. On the other hand, the Libyan National Assembly has formed an alliance with the National Army, mainly controlling the eastern and central regions.
Due to the long-term division between the two major forces, coupled with outdated infrastructure, the local flood control and resistance capabilities are relatively weak. At the time of the incident, there was neither a flood warning system nor an emergency evacuation plan in the local area.
According to Ghazni, an analyst for Libya at the International Crisis Research Organization, the international community's deployment of rescue teams to Libya requires approval from the Western National Unity Government. However, the severely affected areas are also within the control of the East and the National Assembly. This means that external aid must be agreed upon by both sides of Libya before it can be implemented.
In addition, the interruption of local infrastructure such as electricity and communication has made rescue work more complex.
The situation remains severe
After the disaster, Manfi, Chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council, called on the international community to provide assistance to the disaster area. At present, emergency rescue teams and international rescue forces from all over Libya have gradually arrived in the disaster area.
But search and rescue work poses significant difficulties. Firstly, a large number of missing persons are either buried in ruins or washed into the sea... As search and rescue efforts continue, the number of victims continues to rise.
Secondly, the infrastructure in the eastern disaster area of Libya, including multiple roads and bridges, has been washed down by floods, and electricity is still being restored, posing significant obstacles to rescue efforts.
Gais also stated that after the flood, the local area still faces the risk of the spread of infectious diseases.
