Somalia: 2024 Gu Season Heavy Rains and Floods Flash Update No. 2 (As of 28 April 2024) [EN/SO]

This Flash Update is prepared by OCHA, in coordination with state cluster coordinators/focal points, humanitarian partners and authorities in Somalia and covers the situation as of 28 April 2024. The next update will be issued as soon as additional information is available.

HIGHLIGHTS

More than 124,150 people have been affected by the Gu (April to June) rains, with 5,100 people displaced and seven children killed since 19 April. Jubaland, Hirshabelle and South West states are the worst impacted.
On 27 April, flash floods inundated roads connecting Dhobley and Afmadow districts in Jubaland State, temporarily making the roads impassable thereby affecting about 60,000 people in the two districts.
Heavy rains are projected during the week ending 30 April in Belet Weyne in Hiraan Region, parts of Bay Region near Baidoa, Bualle in Middle Juba Region, Garbahaarey in Gedo Region, and south of Burco in Togdheer region.
Partners have pre-positioned supplies in the 22 hotspot districts to meet the needs of 770,000 people who are expected to be affected, including food and nutrition supplies, sandbags, cholera kits and shelter kits, water, sanitation and hygiene, and education supplies.
Following the allocation of US$3 million from Somalia Humanitarian Fund, partners have distributed 2,000 hygiene kits in Afgooye and Jamame and cash assistance to 2,550 people.

However, the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is only 10.3 per cent funded.

KEY FIGURES

124.1K
People affected or displaced by the Gu rains and flash floods.

5.1K
People displaced by heavy rains and floods since 19 April.

7
Number of children who have died due to heavy rains and floods.

US$3M
Funds allocated by SHF to partners in March to ramp up flood responses.

US$1.6BN
Funds required for 2024 HNRP; only 10.3 per cent received so far

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Heavy rains have led to localized floodings which have affected an estimated 124,155 people across Somalia as of 28 April, with more than 5,130 displaced and seven children killed, according to partners in the field. The children included three in Somaliland and four in Hirshabelle State. The worst affected are Jubaland, Hirshabelle and South West states. On 27 April, flash floods inundated roads connecting Dhobley and Afmadow districts and its environs in Jubaland State, temporarily making the roads impassable thereby affecting an estimated 60,000 people in the two districts. The local airstrips in Dhobley and Afmadow are flooded. Moderate rains have also been reported in Middle Juba and Gedo region, notably in Doolow, Luuq, and Bualle.

Partners in Hirshabelle State report that at least 43,920 people have been affected, including 4,800 people displaced in 67 sites. The Shabelle river level has risen in Belet Weyne following heavy rains in Hiraan region and the Ethiopian highlands. Floods have also inundated a nutrition center and four sites for displaced people in Jowhar district, forcing 3,000 people from Alla Amin, Jiliyale, Alla Ssuge, and Daryeel sites to move to temporary shelters in other sites or within host communities. Reports from South West State indicate that at least 19,896 people have been affected in 71 displacement sites and 691 shelters damaged. The Shabelle river overflowed its banks in Aw Dheegle, affecting 4,800 people, flooding 19 hectares of crops and damaging 250 houses and 129 latrines.

During the week of 18 to 24 April, heavy rains in Somaliland inundated 77 farms in Waqooyi Galbeed region, according to the authorities, including 56 farms in Laas Geel, 14 in Buiju Guure in Berbera district and seven in Darar Weyne, Hargeisa district. Flash floods in Banadir region swept off 34 shelters, displacing 336 people and damaging 30 latrines and a community centre in Kahda district and Garasbaley area.

The FAO-Somalia Water and Land Information Management (FAO-SWALIM) which monitors the rainfall and river levels, projects heavy rains during the week ending 30 April in Belet Weyne, in Hiran Region, parts of Bay Region near Baidoa, Buale in Middle Juba Region, Garbahaarey in Gedo Region, and south of Burco in Togdheer region. SWALIM is sending out early warning messages to communities that are likely to be affected via the Digniin (‘alert’ in Somali) SMS alert system. This week, radio broadcasts for early warning to at-risk communities will also start.

RESPONSE

An OCHA mission on 22 and 23 April to Raama Cade, Matal Amin and Ceel Dheere displacement sites in Baidoa town, South West State, found that the authorities, local communities and humanitarian partners have prepared for the anticipated heavy rains and floods; sharing awareness messages, arranging sandbags around shelters in flood-prone sites and pre-positioning response supplies in various locations.

Partners have pre-positioned supplies in the 22 hotspot districts to meet a significant portion of the needs of 770,000 people who are expected to be affected. These include food and nutrition supplies, sandbags, cholera kits and shelter kits, water, sanitation and hygiene as well as education supplies to cover a significant portion of the requirements. Significant gaps remain in the availability of Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) and measles kits.

Shelter and water, sanitation, and hygiene supplies have been prepositioned in nine districts.

In March, the Humanitarian Coordinator launched a US$3 million Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF) Anticipatory Action allocation to mitigate the impact of the Gu rains and flooding. The allocation targeted hotspot locations in Afgooye, Jamame and Luuq districts with integrated life-saving health and water, sanitation and hygiene interventions, as well as multipurpose cash assistance.

Eight projects are ongoing . Partners have distributed over 2,000 hygiene kits in Afgooye and Jamame, and 2,550 beneficiaries have received cash assistance in Jamame.

In addition, the SHF is boosting services in the main Cholera Treatment Center in Afgooye and over 1,900 people in Afgooye, Jamame and Luuq have received primary health care services including immunization and consultations. Other critical activities are ongoing through mobile clinics in the targeted locations.

The Somalia Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) has warned communities living in flood-prone areas of Jowhar, Belet Weyne, Bula Burde in Hirshabelle as well as Luuq and Doolow in Jubaland states to brace for the impact of potential floods. The agency noted that rising water levels in the Shabelle and Juba rivers could threaten livelihoods in several regions. The Bay, Bakool, Galgaduud, Gedo and Lower Juba regions are on high alert, according to SoDMA.

GAPS AND CONSTRAINTS

As Somalia braces for the likely adverse impact of the current rains, funding for the humanitarian response remains low. As of 28 April, the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which needs US$1.6 billion, is only 10.3 per cent funded. Partners require urgent additional funding to scale up response as heavy rains and floods start to spread.

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