Thousands flee homes after flooding devastation

Jamal Ali Abdi has seen flooding in Beledweyne before but never on the scale witnessed this month when the Shabelle River burst its banks, causing devastation to the central Somali town and displacing almost the entire population

-  Mohamed Gabobe 

As water gushed through the streets, Ali's home was soon surrounded by murky brown flood water.

"The water was up to my neck," said Ali, 36. "Our entire family, including my six children, sought refuge in a relative's home after our house was immersed. I was barely able to get my children to safety and grab a couple of items as we fled." Nearly 250,000 people have been forced to leave their homes after heavy rainfall in Somalia and the Ethiopian highlands led to flash floods in Beledweyne, the capital of the Hiran region. A week on from the start of the flooding, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) called for urgent funding to scale up assistance, while the Somali Disaster Management Agency distributed aid to displaced families last week.