What Happened
After storm Daniel slammed northeastern Libya, two dams were destroyed and water flowed into the neighborhoods like several powerful rivers were on the loose, resulting in an estimated 2,300 fatalities and 10,000 missing. At least 150 people, according to Libyan officials, died in the rapid flooding on Sunday afternoon when storm Daniel stormed the Mediterranean, battering Turkey, Greece, and Bulgaria.
The actual death toll, however, is probably much higher. According to Tamer Ramadan of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). “Our teams on the ground are still doing their assessment but from what we see and from the news coming to us, the death toll is huge,” he said, speaking by video link from Tunis to reporters in Geneva.
He said in English, “It might number thousands.” “At this time, we don’t have a specific figure.” The IFRC had been informed by unofficial sources that there had been “hitting 10,000 persons so far” reported missing.
Dams Are Broken
Authorities said Tuesday that two dams collapsed as a result of flooding, sending water rushing towards Derna Libya and causing devastating damage. The destruction of three bridges. Neighbourhoods as a whole were swept away by the surging flood and subsequently dumped into the sea, according to Ahmed Mismari, an LNA official.
Osama Aly, the chairman of Libya’s Emergency and Ambulance authority, claimed that strong muddy currents carrying vehicles and debris wiped away homes in valleys. That because of the extensive damage. City’s phone connections are down, hindering rescue attempts and preventing employees from entering Derna. The wind speeds, seawater levels, and rainfall were not analysed. Evacuation of families who might be in the storm’s path or in valleys, according to him.
“Libya was unprepared for an event of that magnitude. That degree of calamity has never previously occurred there. Even if this is the first time we have faced such a calamity, we are acknowledging that there were shortcomings.
Uncommon Flooding
It appears that the storm will rank among the deadliest in North Africa on record. According to a report from the official news agency Libyan News Agency (LANA), Hamad, the chief of the eastern administration, declared that the situation in Libya is “unprecedented.” The floods have reportedly affected a number of cities. Cities including Al-Bayda, Al-Marj, Tobruk, Takenis, Al-Bayada, and Battah, as well as the eastern coast all the way to Benghazi. The flooding in Libya in September was the second-deadliest in North Africa in more than a century.
In 2019, four individuals lost their lives and tens of thousands were affected by the recent major flood in Libya. However, this one is unprecedented in scope for the nation.