A late-November tropical cyclone forecast by GDACs came to reality during the first week of December 2019 with the passage of PAWAN-19 over Nugaal and Bari regions of Puntland in north eastern Somalia.
The cyclone resulted in heavy rain and floods, affecting an estimated 15,000 people, and posing a high risk of waterborne diseases in the most affected districts of Eyl, Bandarbayla, Galuula and Laasqoray.
Floods Situation Update
In Beledweyne town, River levels have been gradual‐ ly dropping during the last week of November 2019, with receding waters in the flood‐affected areas. This saw the return of close to 50,000 of the dis‐ placed people in Beledweyne returning to their homes in the last two weeks of the month.
The weather forecast published by the FAO‐ managed SWALIM system highlighted moderate to heavy rains over the following seven days, the first week of December 2019. Alarming new floods were reported in the early days of December as moderate to heavy rains increased riverine water levels.