Libya: Flood update Flash Update No.6 (21 September 2023) (as of 4pm local time)

Highlights

• An estimated 43,000 individuals have been displaced by the floods in northeastern Libya.

• New reports indicate casualties among non-Libyan nationals, including 391 Egyptian nationals who are currently reported as missing.

• Local authorities are repairing infrastructure, including paving roads and restoring cables.

• Humanitarian partners continue scaling up their response.

• More international pledges and in-kind aid are reported from Japan, South Korea, Spain and Thailand.

Situation overview

Following Storm Daniel that devastated the country on 10 September, more than 4,000 fatalities have been confirmed and more than 8,000 people are still missing as of 19 September, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). These figures are expected to rise as more information becomes available. According to IOM’s latest displacement tracking, more than 43,000 people have been displaced. IOM notes that displaced individuals continue to move out of Derna to eastern locations including Tobruk (1,320 people) and Benghazi (730 people). Most are hosted by relatives. Field observers report that displaced families from Derna continue to arrive to the western municipalities of Tripoli, Hai Alandalus, Misrata, Ghiryan and Qasr bin Ghasheer. Most are staying with host families. Both displaced populations and host communities are in urgent need of humanitarian support.

Egypt reported that 391 of its citizens are missing in Libya, most of them in the city of Derna. As of 19 September, 87 bodies of Egyptian citizens have been recovered. Rescue efforts continue as confirmed by teams in Derna who report the window for locating survivors is rapidly closing. Libyan authorities have stated the official search-and-rescue period is expected to end within the next 48 hours. Rescue teams from Malta and Spain have concluded their mission.

Several thousand bodies reportedly remain under the rubble, and local teams require sustained support to continue ongoing identification, documentation and burial services, as well as manage the risk of future health outbreaks or waterborne diseases. In addition to humanitarian aid, Libya also needs and has requested technical experts – including specialized civil engineers, unexploded ordnance (UXO), water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and waste management experts.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Libya reports 49,000 refugees and asylum- seekers are registered with the agency , including more than 1,000 people who live in eastern Libya. However, significant numbers of forcibly displaced people from Sudan and Syria who were not registered with UNHCR live in the affected areas. In addition, some 46,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were hosted across eastern Libya before the storm and floods, the majority in Benghazi, according to International Organization for Migration (IOM). In the worst-affected areas, some 2,800 IDPs were living in Derna and 3,100 in Ajdabiya.

On 18 September, the Emergency Operations Room of the Ministry of Health announced that the city of Derna has been divided into three regions. The first includes areas afflicted and severely damaged and destroyed by the flood. According to the Ministry, these areas must be evacuated of residents, except for rescue and ambulance teams. The second are fragile areas that were flooded with water. Conditions in these areas are deemed to pose a danger to people. The third includes unaffected and safe areas.

Physical access continues to be constrained inside affected areas, given infrastructure damage, and ongoing efforts to pave roads, including in Derna, continue. Rubble removal marks the start of a critical second phase of the response. Teams on the ground continue efforts to link the two parts of Derna, and major efforts to restore water and water and sanitation infrastructure in the city. Some areas, including villages in Al Bayda, remain unreachable as of 16 September, with military helicopters used to extract some stranded families.

While rubble removal is often the responsibility of local municipalities, the extent of damage is beyond the capacity of local authorities. The affected region of Libya needs sustained early recovery support, including the provision of heavy vehicles and technical expertise to ensure the safe and sustainable removal of debris and restoration of critical infrastructure.

From a health perspective, Libyan first responders, humanitarian workers, and volunteers are leading the response and need urgent support and protection through provision of needed vaccinations (including most urgently for Hepatitis A and B), proper equipment, and training. Active local actors on the ground require immediate and flexible funding.

The following observations and recommendations are drawn from an inter-agency field mission, mentioned in Flash Update 4, by 9 UN agencies and UNSMIL between 15 and16 September to Al Bayda, Derna and Sousse. Giving the limited availability and increased prices of essential food items in the three affected areas, the possibility of implementing Cash-Based Transfers (CBT) should be explored to support affected families.

Al Bayda

Silos and warehouses have been destroyed, leading to further challenges in storing and distributing food supplies. The municipality demonstrates good access to markets, with relatively less damage to food security systems compared to other areas. Local health authorities raised concerns regarding shortages of medicine and supplies, including reported shortages of non-communicable disease (NCD) medicines for patients with chronic disease. Numerous water wells were reportedly damaged, requiring new water pumps. Three schools in the municipality were being used as temporarily shelter for 300 displaced people at the time of the mission’s visit.

Derna

Some 80 per cent of markets were destroyed, severely impacting local food availability. The fishery project in Derna has also suffered substantial damage, negatively affecting the livelihoods of the fishing community. An estimated third of Derna’s housing and infrastructure was damaged by the flood. Six schools in Derna were hosting displaced people as of 16 September. Shelters are managed by different entities, including the Libya Red Crescent Society (LRCS). A centralized or unified entity that manages shelters and registers families and children, including unaccompanied and separated children, is seen as gap. The water and sanitation system needs extensive reconstruction, and water quality control is needed to avoid risks of water contamination.

Sousse

Fishery activities have been completely impacted, leading to a loss of livelihoods for local fishermen. Livelihood support programmes focusing on alternative income-generating activities should be considered. The municipality mentioned that the health facility was fully functional and received doctors from outside the city to support. The water distillation plant is out of service due to the storm and floods. The water purification unit has been destroyed and the municipality has serious concerns regarding water contamination and possible mixing of the sewage network and drinking water sources.