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Home » Campaigns » Yemen Floods Yemen Floods
Yemen Floods Affect 65,000 Most of the southeastern Yemeni governorate of Hadramaut lies in ruins after the October floods razed houses, devastated farmland and uprooted thousands of palm trees. Almost 200 people were killed, more than 3,000 homes were destroyed, 188 schools were damaged and approximately 650,000 people were affected, with an estimated 20,000 of them displaced, according to the Yemeni government. Yemen's leadership declared Hadramaut and al-Mahra disaster zones on Oct 24, the day after a tropical storm triggered flash floods in the region. Many have labeled the floods the region's most devastating disaster in a decade. Click here to donate now Destruction and Despair “Now we live in the depths of despair,” Mohammed Omar, 19, said to IRIN, an official United Nation's news agency. A native of Hadramaut, Omar spends much of his time sitting on the remains of his destroyed home. Omar's village, Saiqah, was one of the many villages completely destroyed by floods which left scores dead and dozens missing. “Cries of panic went up as people rushed to reach higher ground. We could feel death was approaching,” Omar told IRIN. In addition to the catastrophic damage, the floodwaters still threaten affected communities with disease. “Flooding damaged the sewage and water supply system and has created swampy areas; piles of rubbish are strewn around,” Alabd Rubia Bamusa, the head of Mukalla's health department, told the UN News Agency—IRIN. “We will be thankful [for any aid] since this is a humanitarian disaster,” Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said. Your Donation can Help Save Lives Islamic Relief's Response Islamic Relief has commenced initial distributions of food and non-food items that is planned to span a period of three months. The aid response includes allocation of food items for 3,500 households and non-food items including: • 3,500 kitchen kits, • 25,000 blankets and • 25,000 mattresses. Yemen's government has identified aid priorities as health and environmental protection, the prevention of infectious diseases, food, tents, blankets, utensils, water pumps, water purification equipment, mobile health units and electricity generators. Islamic Relief's staff continues to closely monitor the humanitarian needs on the ground and urgently require more funds to maintain their services, officials say. Donate Now to Help the Flood Victims! |
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