UN releases $3m to combat expected flooding in Somalia

According to the United Nations, The international donor-backed Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF), designed to address the country’s most urgent needs, has allocated 3 million U.S. dollars to help address the anticipated flooding.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the funds will reduce the humanitarian impact of the predicted flooding to communities that are expected to be the hardest hit in remote and hard-to-reach locations of Jamame, Luuq, and Afgooye.

According to the OCHA, four people have died from the recent rains in Somalia. The UN agency said some 804 people have been displaced, 100 shelters have been destroyed, and a school has been damaged across the country.

OCHA said It will mainly provide multipurpose cash, pre-position and distribute hygiene kits and essential medicines, and upgrade communal universal water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure and health facilities that could be implemented post-flood.

According to the Somalia’s Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA), the recent floods caused by the El Nino rains have displaced more than 600,000 people and affected more than two million people across the country.

The agency has appealed for more support from the international community to address the urgent needs of the flood victims.