2024 Yemen floods

Last updated
2024 Yemen floods
Date28 July 2024 - ongoing
LocationWestern Yemen
CauseHeavy rainfall
Deaths100+

The 2024 Yemen floods were a series of severe weather events caused by heavy rainfall that struck Yemen in July and August 2024, resulting in widespread devastation across multiple provinces. The floods led to at least 61 deaths, [1] the displacement of thousands, and extensive damage to infrastructure and agriculture. [2]

Contents

Meteorology

The early-August floods were caused by at least eight days of consecutive heavy rainfall. Yemen's rainy season typically begins in late March, with rain intensifying in July through mid-August. [3]

A severe weather bulletin stated that there was a high risk of flooding from 1–10 August due to rainfall reaching 300 mm in the Southern Uplands and the Central Highlands. The bulletin predicted that 7 August would receive the highest density of rainfall at >120 mm in one day, and stated that dry regions such as the Western Hadramaut would still receive rainfall of up to 60 mm. As a result, the bulletin predicted significant flash floods in Western regions of Yemen that could destroy agricultural crops and land in lower-lying areas near the Red Sea coast, and could also cause significant urban flooding due to limited drainage systems. [4]

On 8 August 2024, Yemen's National Center of Meteorology released an orange alert warning of impending extreme weather for 9 August and onwards. The center advised residents in the "central highlands and along western and southern coasts" to avoid driving through or staying in watercourses and valleys. [2]

Impact

Local residents described the floods as "unprecedented," with one Yemeni soldier from the Hays District of Al Hudaydah stating that the degree of rainfall and flooding had not occurred over such a large area in 20 years. [2] A total of 34,260 homes were damaged, affecting 6,042 families. [1] By 18 August 2024, at least 100 people were reported to have been killed by the ongoing flooding. [5]

Al Hudaydah Governorate

The western governorate of Al Hudaydah was among the hardest hit areas. Officials reported at least thirty fatalities and the displacement of thousands of residents across most districts. Houthi governor of Al Hudaydah Mohammed Guhim stated that five people were reported to be missing and approximately 500 properties were affected. The floods inundated houses, isolated communities, and destroyed roads, residences, vehicles, and agricultural crops. [2] Some residents in the El Mansouria district were reportedly stranded in their homes due to blocked roadways. [6]

Many displaced residents were already internally displaced persons (IDPs) due to the ongoing Yemeni civil war, with the Al Hudaydah Governorate providing shelter to between 50,000 and 60,000 IDPs prior to the floods. Initial reports claimed that an entire village in the province had been completely swept away by floodwaters. Many streets and houses in Al Hudaydah city were inundated, forcing residents to evacuate to safer locations. The floods also triggered widespread power outages and led to the widespread closure of roads and disruption of public services. [3]

Healthcare

Prior to the floods, regional healthcare capabilities were already strained due to "inadequate supplies of medication, oxygen, lab reagents, and intravenous fluids, as well as a shortage of specialized staff". Out of 477 health facilities in the governorate, only 381 (80%) were fully functional, with 93 (20%) partially functional. [3]

As a result of the floods, Bajil hospital was flooded, as were health centers in the districts of Al-Marawa'ah, Az Zaydiyah, and Al-Zuhra. The Tuberculosis Centre had all its equipment and medications destroyed while suffering significant damage. Al-Thawrah hospital suffered damage in several departments, although it managed to remain operational. [3]

Tihamah coastal plain

In the Tihamah coastal plain, several reports of significant damage were noted. These included livestock that had drowned in mud, large numbers of destroyed houses that were often made of brick, large amounts of lost or destroyed supplies of drinkable water and food, and many residents being stranded with others needing to be evacuated to Al Hudaydah city. [6]

Taiz Governorate

In the Maqbanah District in Taiz city, severe flooding on 2 August resulted in fifteen deaths and the displacement of roughly 10,000 people. The floods buried at least 80 wells, destroyed crops, and caused significant damage to houses and infrastructure. [2]

Al Mahwit Governorate

On August 28, 2024, at least 33 people were killed due to landslides and heavy rainfall in Al Mahwit. [7]

Other affected regions

The governorates of Hajjah and Raymah also experienced loss of life and property damage due to the heavy rainfall and resulting flooding. [2] The United Nations Population Fund for Yemen reported that floods "impacted more than 28,000 people living in four districts in Hajjah city". The agency's rapid response teams recorded around 4,112 families in need of emergency relief. [6]

Broader impact

Health risks

The floods also posed significant public health risks. The combination of poor sanitation and contaminated water exacerbated by the Yemeni civil war increased the likelihood of waterborne diseases. Furthermore, stagnant water created ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes, increasing the likelihood of vector-borne disease outbreaks that could include dengue fever and malaria. These health risks were particularly alarming given the vulnerability of the population due to it already weakened by years of conflict and economic hardship. [3]

Military impact

The floods affected military operations in the region. In Hays District in Al Hudaydah, the pro-government Southern Giants Brigades reported one soldier killed and two missing after being swept away by flash floods. A government soldier in the same district described the destruction of military equipment, including barricades, trenches, and ammunition. The flooding also reportedly unearthed land mines previously planted by Houthi forces. [2]

Response

Humanitarian response

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported on the widespread impact of the floods, particularly in Al Hudaydah governorate. The UN Population Fund's office in Yemen distributed emergency relief to thousands of affected individuals across multiple provinces. 6,797 people in Al Hudaydah, 3,976 people in Hajjah, and about 665 people in Al-Mahwit and Raymah received humanitarian aid. [2]

The aid included relief items, cash assistance, food, and other essential resources such as clothing. However, the UN noted significant challenges in delivering aid, including difficulty in access to affected populations due to damaged roads and widespread flooding preventing transit. [2] Local authorities faced difficulties in reaching severely affected areas for days after the floods, leaving many residents trapped. As a result, local residents reported a lack of humanitarian assistance reaching them directly. Witnesses reported that there was a disconnect between announced humanitarian assistance and actual aid received by affected communities. [6]

The World Health Organization (WHO) immediately dispatched thirty-five humanitarian health kits, fifteen measles kits, and other essential medical supplies to Hodeida. [3]

Government response

Yemen's internationally recognized government pleaded for international donors and organizations to provide assistance to the nation. In addition, the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation called for quick action to address the consequences of the floods, provide relief to affected individuals, and implement urgent flood-draining measures. [2]

According to Masirah TV, chairman of the Supreme Political Council Mahdi al-Mashat ordered local authorities to immediately respond to areas damaged by flooding. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Hudaydah Governorate</span> Governorate of Yemen

Al Hudaydah is a governorate of Yemen. Its capital is Al Hudaydah. The governorate is also sometimes referred to as the Western Coast. With an estimated population of nearly 4 million, it is the third-most populous governorate in Yemen, behind Ibb and Taiz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hajjah Governorate</span> Governorate of Yemen

Hajjah is a governorate of Yemen in the north-western part of the country. It borders the Red Sea to the west, and its capital is also named Hajjah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymah Governorate</span> Governorate of Yemen

Raymah is a governorate of Yemen. Its capital is Al Jabin. The governorate was established in January 2004 from parts of Sanaa Governorate. Its name derives from Wadi Rima, which crosses through the governorate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 North Indian Ocean cyclone season</span>

The 1996 North Indian Ocean cyclone season featured several deadly tropical cyclones, with over 2,000 people killed during the year. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) – the Regional Specialized Meteorological Center for the northern Indian Ocean as recognized by the World Meteorological Organization – issued warnings for nine tropical cyclones in the region. Storms were also tracked on an unofficial basis by the American-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center, which observed one additional storm. The basin is split between the Bay of Bengal off the east coast of India and the Arabian Sea off the west coast. During the year, the activity was affected by the monsoon season, with most storms forming in June or after October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep Depression ARB 02 (2008)</span> North Indian cyclone in 2008

Deep Depression ARB 02 was a weak yet costly tropical cyclone which caused extensive damage and loss of life in Yemen. The sixth tropical cyclone and third deep depression of the 2008 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, ARB 02 formed in the Arabian Sea on October 19 from the same broader system which would spawn Moderate Tropical Storm Asma in the southern Indian Ocean around that time. Moving generally westward, the depression failed to intensify further, reaching maximum sustained winds of 55 km/h (35 mph). It would weaken, becoming a remnant low on October 23. Later that day, the system's remnants would make landfall near Ash Shihr in eastern Yemen.

Broadcasting began in Yemen in the 1940s when it was still divided into South and North Yemen, with the South being ruled by the British and the North being ruled by the Kingdom of Yemen. After the unity of Yemen in 1990, Yemeni government reformed its corporations and founded some additional radio channels which can broadcast locally. However, it drew back after 1994 due to destroyed infrastructures by the civil war. In 1995 it commenced its first TV broadcasting abroad and since then there has been some gradual increase in its radio and television channels most of which belong to the government.

A Saudi Arabian-led military intervention in Yemen began in 2015, in an attempt to influence the outcome of the Yemeni Civil War. Saudi Arabia, spearheading a coalition of nine Arab states, began carrying out airstrikes in neighbouring Yemen and imposing an aerial and naval blockade on 26 March 2015, heralding a military intervention code-named Operation Decisive Storm. More than 130 health facilities(2019) in Yemen have been destroyed by a series of airstrikes conducted by the Saudi Arabian-led coalition since March 2015. Many of these have been public health hospitals staffed or supported by Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Critics of the assaults say the airstrikes are war crimes in violation of the protections of health care facilities afforded by the internationally recognized rules of war and have called for independent investigations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclone Chapala</span> North Indian cyclone in 2015

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Chapala was a powerful tropical cyclone that caused moderate damage in Somalia and Yemen during November 2015. Chapala was the third named storm of the 2015 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. It developed as a depression on 28 October off western India, and strengthened a day later into a cyclonic storm. Chapala then rapidly intensified amid favorable conditions. On 30 October, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) estimated that Chapala attained peak three-minute sustained winds of 215 km/h (135 mph). The American-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) estimated sustained winds of 240 km/h (150 mph), making Chapala among the strongest cyclones on record in the Arabian Sea. After peak intensity, Chapala skirted the Yemeni island of Socotra on 1 November, becoming the first hurricane-force storm there since 1922. High winds and heavy rainfall resulted in an island-wide power outage, and severe damage was compounded by Cyclone Megh, which struck Yemen a week later. Chapala means 'scrutiny' in Bengali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 Oman cyclone</span> North Indian cyclone in 1996

The 1996 Oman cyclone was a tenacious and deadly system that caused historic flooding in the southern Arabian Peninsula. It originated from a disturbance in the Gulf of Aden, the first such tropical cyclogenesis on record. After moving eastward, the system interacted with the monsoon trough and became a tropical storm on June 11. Later that day, it turned toward Oman and struck the country's southeast coast. It weakened over land, dissipating on June 12, although it continued to produce rainfall – heavy at times – over the next few days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclone Megh</span> North Indian cyclone in 2015

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Megh is regarded as the worst tropical cyclone to ever strike the Yemeni island of Socotra, causing additional destruction there after Cyclone Chapala hit the same island. Megh formed on November 5, 2015, in the eastern Arabian Sea, and followed a path similar to Chapala. After moving northward, the cyclone turned to the west, and fueled by warm water temperatures, it quickly intensified. On November 7, the storm developed an eye in the center and began to rapidly intensify into a mature cyclone. By the next day, the India Meteorological Department estimated peak 3 minute sustained winds of 175 km/h (110 mph), and the American-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center estimated 1 minute winds of 205 km/h (125 mph). Shortly thereafter, the cyclone brushed the northern coast of Socotra. The storm steadily weakened thereafter, especially after it skirted the northern Somalia coast. After entering the Gulf of Aden, Megh turned to the west-northwest and struck southwestern Yemen on 10 November as a deep depression, dissipating shortly thereafter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclone Sagar</span> Tropical cyclone which made landfall in Somalia and Somaliland

Cyclonic Storm Sagar was the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall in Somalia and Somaliland in recorded history until Gati in 2020, and the first named cyclone of the 2018 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. Forming on May 16 east of the Guardafui Channel, Sagar intensified into a cyclonic storm on the next day, as it gradually organized. The storm turned to the west-southwest and traversed the entirety of the Gulf of Aden, making landfall over Somaliland on May 19, farther west than any other storm on record in the North Indian Ocean. Sagar weakened into a remnant low on May 20.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclone Mekunu</span> Category 3 North Indian Cyclone in 2018

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Mekunu was the strongest storm to strike Oman's Dhofar Governorate since 1959. The second named storm of the 2018 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Mekunu developed out of a low-pressure area on May 21. It gradually intensified, passing east of Socotra on May 23 as a very intense tropical cyclone. On May 25, Mekunu reached its peak intensity. The India Meteorological Department estimated 10 minute sustained winds of 175 km/h (110 mph), making Mekunu an extremely severe cyclonic storm. The American-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center estimated slightly higher 1 minute winds of 185 km/h (115 mph). While at peak intensity, Mekunu made landfall near Raysut, Oman, on May 25. The storm rapidly weakened over land, dissipating on May 27.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclone Luban</span> Category 2 Indian ocean cyclone in 2018

Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Luban was the third tropical cyclone to affect the Arabian Peninsula during the 2018 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, after cyclones Sagar and Mekunu in May. Luban developed on October 6 in the central Arabian Sea, and for much of its duration, maintained a general west-northwestward trajectory. On October 10, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) upgraded Luban to a very severe cyclonic storm – equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane – and estimated maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h (85 mph). The storm made landfall on October 14 in eastern Yemen, as a cyclonic storm. The storm quickly weakened over the dry, mountainous terrain of the Arabian Peninsula, before dissipating on October 15.

The 2020 Yemen flood was a flash flood that killed at least 172 people in Yemen and damaged homes and UNESCO-listed world heritage sites across the country, officials said.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Africa floods</span> Historical Event

Throughout 2022, floods affected most of Africa, killing over 2,100 people. The worst affected country was Nigeria, with over 610 deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeel Albena Association for Humanitarian Development</span> Yemeni aid organisation

Jeel Albena Association for Humanitarian Development, also known as Jeel Albena, is a Yemeni not for profit organisation, founded by Ameen Jubran in 2017. It won the Nansen Refugee Award in 2021.

The following is a timeline of the Yemeni humanitarian crisis, ongoing since the mid-2010s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclone Tej</span> North Indian Ocean cyclone in 2023

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Tej was a strong tropical cyclone that formed over the central-south Arabian Sea and made landfall on Yemen. It was the first cyclone to make landfall in the nation since Cyclone Luban of 2018. The sixth depression and the third named cyclonic storm of the season, Tej coexisted with Cyclone Hamoon in the Bay of Bengal, a rare phenomenon not seen since 2018. The cyclone then took a northwestward track in the Arabian Sea and made landfall in Al Mahrah Governorate of Yemen between 23 and 24 October 2023, bringing significant rainfall and flooding across the eastern half of the country and western parts of Oman.

The Arbaat Dam, north of Port Sudan, Sudan, collapsed on 24 August 2024, killing at least 148 people with many more missing. The collapse was triggered by severe rainfall and consequential flooding.

References

  1. 1 2 Al-Batati, Saeed (11 August 2024). "Yemen toll of flooding fatalities climbs to 61". Arab News . Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Al-Batati, Saeed (8 August 2024). "Torrential rain and flash floods in Yemen kill 45 and displace thousands". Arab News . Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Severe flooding hits Yemen's Hodeida governorate". ReliefWeb . 8 August 2024. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  4. ↑ "Agrometeorological Early Warning Bulletin (01-10 Aug 2024) [EN/AR]". ReliefWeb . 6 August 2024. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  5. ↑ Al-Batati, Saeed (18 August 2024). "Yemenis warned of harsh weather to come as flood deaths pass 100". Arab News . Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Al-Haj, Ahmed (8 August 2024). "Flooding in Yemen has left 30 people dead and hundreds displaced, official says". Associated Press . Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  7. ↑ "Tientallen doden door noodweer en aardverschuivingen in Jemen". nos.nl (in Dutch). 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.