Libya: Impact of Storm Daniel in eastern Libya and the collapse of ...

OVERVIEW

On 10 September 2023, Storm Daniel made landfall in Libya, causing heavy rainfall, flash floods, and strong winds. It affected coastal towns and cities in the northeast of the country (Al Jazeera 11/09/2023; Reuters 12/09/2023; IOM 11/09/2023). Before making landfall in Libya, the storm also hit Bulgaria, Greece, and Türkiye, killing at least 14 people (CNN 07/09/2023). In those countries, the storm flooded homes, caused landslides, and destroyed roads and agricultural assets and produce (FT 08/09/2023; EUobserver 11/09/2023; AA 10/09/2023).

It is likely that the storm most affected Derna, a port city in Derna district (Cyrenaica region) that sits on a river delta. Two of its dams collapsed because of heavy rainfall, leading to the water swiping away entire neighbourhoods in the city (NBC 11/09/2023; Euronews 11/09/2023; Reuters 12/09/2023; CNN 11/09/2023). Derna city had a pre-storm population of around 125,000; as at 12 September, around 2,000 bodies had been recovered following the floods (Asharq Al-Awsat 13/09/2023; Independent 13/09/2023). The storm also damaged or destroyed critical infrastructure and disrupted electricity and communication lines (IOM 11/09/2023; NBC 11/09/2023).

On 13 September, the Libyan News Agency reported that the storm killed around 5,300 people across northeastern Libya. 10,000 people remained missing (Al Jazeera 13/09/2023; UN 12/09/2023). The storm significantly damaged homes and critical infrastructure in all affected areas, including roads, bridges, and telecommunication networks (IOM 11/09/2023; NBC 11/09/2023).

Initial reports indicate that the storm severely affected dozens of villages and towns. The most affected municipalities (baladyat) include Albayda, Almarj, Al Owailia, Albayda, Benghazi, Derna, Shahhat, Sousa, Taknes, Talmeitha, Tobruk, and Toukra in northeastern Libya (IOM 11/09/2023).

The eastern Libyan authorities have asked for national and international intervention and for relevant organisations to assist in search-and-rescue operations (Al Jazeera 11/09/2023).