The regional government of Ethiopia’s Somali region reported that more than 20 individuals have lost their lives, and over 12,000 others have been displaced from their homes as a result of flash flooding caused by heavy rains.
The Somali Regional State Communication Bureau disclosed that the torrential rain has led to the destruction of bridges and roads, hindering access to affected households. Additionally, damage to livestock, crops, and property has been reported.
“More than 20 people have died in the flood so far… more than 12,000 families have been displaced,” the statement said.
“Rising rainfall and forecasts show that the risk of flooding remains high.”
The United Nations’ humanitarian agency, OCHA, indicated last month that eastern Africa was expected to experience above-average rainfall during the October-December period due to the El Niño phenomenon.
El Niño is a naturally recurring weather pattern linked to global temperature elevation, which can result in drought conditions in some regions and excessive rainfall in others.
The Horn of Africa is among the areas most susceptible to the impacts of climate change, with a rising occurrence of extreme weather events of heightened frequency and intensity.
Since late 2020, Somalia, along with sections of Ethiopia and Kenya, has been grappling with the most severe drought experienced in the region in four decades.
Toward the conclusion of 2019, a minimum of 265 individuals lost their lives, and tens of thousands were forced to relocate due to two months of incessant rainfall in multiple East African countries.
The intense rainfall adversely impacted nearly two million individuals and swept away tens of thousands of livestock in Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.