Attachments
A. SITUATION ANALYSIS
Description of the crisis
On the night of 10–11 September 2023, Libya faced one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in its modern history as Storm Daniel, a Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone (also referred to as a “medicane”), made landfall on the country's northeastern coast. The storm brought unprecedented rainfall, flash floods, and gale-force winds, culminating in the collapse of two aging dams in the city of Derna. This triggered a tsunami-like deluge that swept entire neighborhoods into the sea and caused catastrophic damage across Derna and surrounding municipalities.
The scale of destruction was staggering. According to OCHA estimates, more than 5,200 people lost their lives, over 8,000 were reported missing, and more than 40,000 people were displaced. Entire communities were cut off, public services and infrastructure—including hospitals, water networks, schools, and roads—were devastated, and access to basic needs like health care, clean water, shelter, and food was severely disrupted.
The coastal city of Derna, home to approximately 130,000 residents, bore the brunt of the catastrophe, but the effects were widespread, reaching into Al Marj, Jabel Akhdar, Benghazi, and beyond. Torrential rainfall and dam failures combined to produce an unparalleled humanitarian emergency for hundreds of thousands of people in a country already grappling with decades of political instability, fragile institutions, and conflict.
The scope of the disaster has been vast, with hundreds of thousands of people affected, and key sectors such as health, shelter, water and sanitation (WASH) and food security suffering immense damage. The health sector remains overwhelmed due to damaged health facilities and surging needs, while WASH infrastructure has been severely compromised, escalating the risk of waterborne diseases. Food systems were disrupted due to submerged agricultural lands and damaged supply chains, leaving many communities reliant on humanitarian aid.