Yemen floods kill dozens, displace hundreds, and harm thousands | News

45 people were killed in flash floods caused by heavy rains that fell on Yemenaccording to figures announced today, Wednesday, by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the governor of Al-Hodeidah, located in the west of the country.

Hodeidah Governor Mohammed Qahim spoke to Al Masirah TV, which is affiliated with the Houthis. For the Houthi group“30 deaths, 5 missing persons, displacement of residents of more than 500 homes, and the cutting off of many valleys as a result of the floods in Hodeidah,” he added, “many homes were destroyed, leading to the death of their residents, and more than 7 cars were dragged by the floods.”

For its part, the UN agency wrote via the X platform: The torrential rains and floods in Maqbanah in Taiz Governorate (southwest of the country) caused damage to about 10,000 people, caused 15 deaths, buried more than 80 wells, swept away agricultural lands, and damaged homes and infrastructure.

Deaths and home destruction caused by the floods have affected the capital Sana'a, the governorates of Shabwa, Al Bayda, Ibb and Al Hudaydah, in addition to other areas. According to local sources, the heavy floods have caused significant damage to agricultural lands and properties, cut off many valleys and swept away cars.

Expectations and obstacles

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations had expected that Yemen would witness, in the first 10 days of August, “accumulative rainfall of 300 mm across the central highlands and southern highlands, with the highest daily rainfall intensity of more than 120 mm recorded on August 7.”

Many areas in different parts of Yemen have been witnessing heavy rains since late last month, causing floods that have caused damage and affected the daily lives of Yemenis.

On July 28, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 3 people, including a child, were killed in Saada Governorate (north), which is under Houthi control, and that more than a thousand shelters for displaced people and about two thousand families were damaged.

The conflict that has been raging since 2014 between the Houthis and the internationally recognized Yemeni government is hampering emergency response, and the OCHA office confirmed in a post today that relief agencies are “responding to urgent needs amid difficulties in access and lack of funding for rapid response.”