The districts of Tigray and Amhara in northern Ethiopia have continued to be affected by severe drought conditions, which have resulted in the deaths of over fifty people and four thousand animals.
While the northern region of Ethiopia is experiencing drought conditions, the southern and eastern regions of the country, as well as Kenya and Somalia, have been affected by high levels of floods. The worst of the flooding was believed to have occurred in Somalia, when fifty individuals lost their lives. According to the institution in charge of disaster management in Somalia, about 700,000 people have been compelled to abandon their homes.
There have been a total of 130 fatalities across the continent of east Africa as a result of the flooding. Beledweyne, which is located in Somalia, was severely impacted when the Shabelle River overflowed its banks, resulting in the destruction of a large number of homes. It has been estimated by Save the Children that almost 90 percent of the population of Beledweyne, which is approximately 250,000 people, were compelled to leave their homes. The United Nations Organization has issued a warning that 4.3 million people, which is equivalent to a quarter of Somalia’s population, are at risk of “crisis-level hunger or worse” as a result of the flooding that is projected to continue to affect east Africa.
The aftermath of a major storm and flooding that struck Turkey on November 18 and 19, Turkey is still dealing with the consequences of the storm and flooding. It was the storm that was responsible for the sinking of the cargo ship Kafkametler, which was flying the flag of Turkey and was located off the shore of the Black Sea. A breakwater outside the harbor, close to the town of Ereğli, was damaged by the ship, resulting in the disappearance of eleven members of the crew. In October, the ship had already received damage as a result of its collision with a mine that was located off the coast of Romania. As a result of the bad weather, the search and rescue operation was delayed for several hours; nonetheless, the body of the ship’s cook was discovered when the weather conditions significantly improved. Despite the fact that all of the crew had successfully evacuated the ship, another ship that was registered in Cameroon broke in half as a result of the storm.
It has been claimed that large-scale damage has been caused to people’s houses and infrastructure, including roofs that have been blown off, trees that have fallen, and flooding. Rescue and relief activities are still ongoing across numerous provinces. In reaction to the issue, schools in four different provinces were asked to temporarily cease their operations. A minimum of nine people have lost their lives across three provinces, and at least fifty people have been injured.
