What Happened
Storm Daniel hit Eastern Libya on September 9, which wreaked havoc through heavy rainfall and severe flooding. The storm resulted in eight months of rain in Libya’s northeast region. Due to the heavy rainfall, two dams flooded areas already overwhelmed on September 11. The city of Derna lost 25% of its city due to the rainfall and flooding. With a population of less than 100,000 people, this affected a tremendous amount of them.
Mental health and psychosocial support are needed for the people affected, as well as access to safe drinking water, sanitation, hygiene supplies, and shelter. Early recovery needs include fixing water and sewage networks, waste management, and debris removal. The local authorities are focusing on how to house the displaced people who have lost their homes and support them with water, food, and other relief items.
The Long-term Damage
Dax Bennet Roque, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s country director for Libya, said on September 12, “Communities across Libya have endured years of conflict, poverty, and displacement. The latest disaster will exacerbate the situation for these people. Hospitals and shelters will be overstretched amidst the large wave of displacement.” The disaster has raised environmental concerns as well.
In the storm’s aftermath, the displaced population is exposed to hazardous pollutants in the debris and mud. In some places, the debris and mud reach 3 m, making it even more dangerous than it already is. The contaminant sources reach from residential properties, industrial areas, medical facilities, wastewater treatment centers, landfills, and fuel tanks in vehicles and storage facilities.
Debris and sediments pose sanitation issues by blocking rainwater drainage systems, increasing the residence time of runoff within urban centers, and increasing the risk of diseases. Libya’s waste management challenges will make treating the debris and sediment difficult.
There are likely to be sources of pollution from hazardous sites that have been damaged or disrupted by the floodwaters. In some cases, pollution will have been released into the floodwaters, though the release may have been delayed for others. Pollution from facilities where it has entered soils or groundwater may not be immediately visible.
Examining the Truth
On September 18, hundreds of people arrived at the Sahaba Mosque in Derna. They were angry and protesting the government’s lack of sufficient warning about Storm Daniel and their neglect of the collapsed dams. Government officials reacted by restricting access for reporters and aid groups – this only led to increased confusion and raised concerns that the government was hiding things not to be scrutinized.
Amnesty International, a global human rights group, released a statement on September 21, calling on the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, an armed group in de facto control of eastern Libya, to “immediately lift all undue restrictions imposed on media and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to all affected communities.”
BBC Arabic found out local authorities mismanaged how to deal with the disaster. For instance, authorities allegedly told residents of Derna to stay home rather than evacuate. It was a clear failure to address the known dangers posed by the dams and led to hindered aid efforts in the days following the disaster.
Storm Daniel had devastating impacts the week of September 4, including deadly flooding in Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria, leading to 20 deaths. The storm is known as a “medicane,” (a combination of the words “Mediterranean” and “hurricane”) which Accuweather describes as a tropical storm. It’s similar to a cyclone, which forms when a non-tropical storm feeds off the warm waters of the Mediterranean.
Support
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SOURCES:
- https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disasters/2023-libya-floods/
- https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/libya-flood-explained-conflict-corruption-climate-change-derna-dams-rcna105219
- https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2023/09/29/1201889130/libya-derna-floods-recovery
- https://reliefweb.int/report/libya/environmental-dimensions-libyas-flood-disaster