Staff Writer
Beledweyne, the city with the largest population density in the area, was forced to relocate thousands of households as a result of flooding in central Somalia.
According to preliminary estimates from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the country in the Horn of Africa has “more than 460,000 people affected, including nearly 219,000 people who have been displaced”.
Beledweyne’s major hospital and a number of other significant buildings were forced to close due to the rising water level in the area.
Hussein Yusuf, a local resident, told The Associated Press that it was the “worst flood we have ever experienced” due to the severity of the downpour and associated property destruction.
If the floods persist, locals worry about an outbreak of malaria and cholera.
