Flash floods impact 500,000 in Somalia, U.N. says

 Flash floods throughout Somalia have affected as many as 500,000 people and have displaced 175,000 people from their homes, the United Nations says.


The floods are some of the worst the region has ever seen, the U.N. said in a statement. The water level has exceeded a 50-year return period.

"Internally displaced people remain the most vulnerable to the impact of the flooding with many camps located in low-lying areas," Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General, said.

"Humanitarian partners on the ground have prioritized water, sanitation, hygiene, health, shelter and food response in their interventions."

Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed visited flood-affected areas Sunday and asked the international community for humanitarian assistance.
 (UPI)
 2/5/18
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Related 2017:

• Somalia drought: More than 100 die from hunger in one region

2015:

• UN says 132,000 affected by floods as El Niño sweeps Somalia