Libya: People hit by devastating floods need your help
Entire neighbourhoods were washed away by metres of water. While the total number of people affected is still not completely clear, hundreds are believed to have died, with many more missing and displaced from their homes.
Your help is urgently needed
Today your donation can make a difference for the people in Libya
DONATE NOW
A major challenge for humanitarian action is access to the flood-hit areas, as roads have been seriously degraded or destroyed. It also comes on top of years of conflict and violence. Unexploded ordnances and abandoned munition stores could also pose an additional challenge to residents, emergency responders, and authorities.The ICRC is already sharing its expertise in the management of mortal remains and restoring family links, working closely with LRCS to support their plans to search for the missing.
Children wander around searching for their families amidst the destruction. Entire families disappeared.@LibyaRC teams mourn their deceased colleagues while they continue to work tirelessly to provide medical assistance.
— ICRC (@ICRC) September 19, 2023
Words cannot describe the disaster in #Derna #Libya. pic.twitter.com/UU19S7VTWj
Our response
The ICRC has been on the ground in Libya since 2011 and is now mobilizing teams and life-saving supplies to support survivors together with our partner the Libyan Red Crescent (LRCS) in the most flood-affected areas. We have offered our expertise in the management of mortal remains and restoring family links, working closely with LRCS to support their plans to search for the missing. So far we have been able to:
- Donate close to 6000 body bags, management of the dead kits and technical support. We are on our way to deliver, medicine, food, and non-food items to families affected by the floods. Medical support to affected health facilities will also be provided.
- Work closely with the LRCS to search for the missing. People deserve an answer, each hour without news adds to the suffering. A team was sent to reinforce our work in forensics.
- Donate medical items to Al Hawary hospital in Benghazi which is the focal hospital dispatching medical support to the flooded areas. We are also providing medical equipment and essential medicine to the health authorities.
- Dispatch a forensic specialist and other experienced staff in Benghazi.
- Provide expert training to the LRCS on the use of emergency water and sanitation equipment that we handed over to them.
Our operational plans for the coming days and weeks include:
- Evaluating the risk posed by unexploded ordnance and abandoned munition stores in Derna to prevent further death and injury.
- Supporting primary healthcare centres in Derna and other areas (2 in Derna, a third elsewhere TBC )
- Working to support 6,250 families with household items and hygiene kits, and provide food to 1,800 families.
- Providing emergency drinking water for 30,000 people, and then looking at long-term water repair projects
- Looking more broadly at how we can help hard-to-reach places beyond Derna.
