A further tragedy has struck in North Africa this week, with a devastating flood wiping out huge swathes of the Libyan city of Derna and the surrounding areas, as well as causing extensive damage to cities like Benghazi, Soussa, Misrata and Shahat.
Intense rainfall brought by the Mediterranean hurricane Storm Daniel caused historically unprecedented flooding, which was then compounded by the collapse of two dams close to the port city of Derna, sending a wall of water likened to a tsunami through dense neighbourhoods, sweeping homes and people out to sea. Authorities currently estimate that 25% of the city’s buildings and infrastructure has been swept away. Outside Derna, it is thought that entire villages have been overwhelmed by the floodwaters, and neighbouring cities have been inundated by flooding.
Image: International Rescue Committee
The political situation in Libya in recent years has led to a greatly reduced flow of international financial aid and has eroded national search and rescue capabilities, hampering recovery efforts. As of Wednesday morning, the death toll in Derna alone stands at over 5,300 and is still rising. Over 10,000 people are currently thought to be missing, with that number likely to rise, and estimates indicate that at least 20,000 of those who survived the initial flooding have lost their homes and are without shelter and basic necessities.
We’ve put together the following list of resources if you’re looking for a way to support relief efforts in Libya. Read on for charities and campaigns you can donate to, as well as people to follow for more information.
Where To Donate:
International Rescue Committee – The IRC provides disaster relief in more than 40 countries across the world, delivering vital support ranging from emergency shelters to healthcare, food, clean water and counselling services. At the moment, every donation to their Emergency Libya Floods Appeal is being matched, so your money will be doubled. You can donate to their Libya appeal here, and you can find out more about matched donations here.
Islamic Relief Worldwide | Libya Appeal – This humanitarian aid and development charity has launched an Emergency Libya Appeal and is working on the ground to provide food, water, blankets and other urgent aid.
International Rescue Committee – This global non-profit has been working in Libya since 2016 and is working to deliver aid, healthcare and emergency supplies to the areas in the east of the country affected by the floods. You can contribute here.
Libya in the UK – Libya in the UK is working in tandem with the Red Crescent to provide emergency shelter, food and other vital supplies. They have launched a Libya Storm Daniel Emergency Appeal to fund their relief efforts.
World Food Programme USA – The World Food Programme has sent up 16 emergency distribution centres in the east of Libya to respond to the flooding and has so far provided emergency assistance to over 5,000 families. You can find out more and donate to support their work here.
Image: Syed Wali Peeran (Wikimedia Commons)
Who to follow:
Noor Tagouri | Instagram – Award-winning journalist, producer, speaker and podcaster Noor Tagouri is sharing resources and updates from Libya.
Tariq Elmeri | Twitter– Find updates on the disaster from Libyan filmmaker and creative Tariq Elmeri.
Hajer Naili | Instagram – Hajer Naili is a former journalist, now working as an specialist in humanitarian affairs, displacement, and conflict across the Middle East and Africa.
Mohammed Elgrj | Twitter – Libyan journalist and researcher sharing regular updates on the disaster.
Bassam Bounenni | Twitter – BBC North Africa Correspondent Bassam Bounenni is sharing regular updates from Libya on the flooding and relief efforts.
Elham Saudi | Twitter – Human rights lawyer, Director of Lawyers for Justice in Libya and host of the Libya Matters podcast.
Noura El Jerbi | Twitter and Instagram – Journalist, reporter and Editor of Tahraly, a platform dedicated to countering disinformation and hate speech in Libya.
Image: EUMETSAT
Support and information to share with friends on the ground:
This crowd-sourced wiki is collecting information on the crisis and relief efforts in English and Arabic, including a register of missing people.
This initiative is compiling crowd-sourced information about on the ground relief efforts, from food distribution centres and blood banks to shelter locations and details of passable roads. You can edit the Google document and submit any additional information you may have.
If you know of any further resources or ways to help, please share them with us in the comments.