Voice of America
18 Sep 2023, 19:05 GMT+10
Derna, Libya - United Nations agencies warned Monday that Libya's flood-stricken city of Derna, where thousands were killed a week ago, faces the threat of disease outbreaks that could bring 'a second devastating crisis.'
The massive flash flood that has killed over 3,000 people and left thousands more missing came as the war-scarred North African country was lashed by the hurricane-strength Storm Daniel on September 10.
Traumatized residents, 30,000 of whom are now homeless, badly need clean water, food and basic supplies amid a growing risk of cholera, diarrhea, dehydration and malnutrition, U.N. agencies warn.
'Teams from nine U.N. agencies have been on the ground delivering aid and support to those affected by Storm Daniel and the flash flooding for the last few days,' said the U.N. Support Mission in Libya.
But it warned that local officials, aid agencies and the U.N. World Health Organization 'are concerned about the risk of disease outbreak, particularly from contaminated water and the lack of sanitation'.
'The team continues to work to prevent diseases from taking hold and causing a second devastating crisis in the area,' UNSMIL said in a statement.
Rapidly rising waters burst two upstream river dams in Derna, sending a late-night tidal wave crashing through the center of the coastal city of 100,000 that swept entire residential blocks into the Mediterranean.
U.N. teams also including the children's relief fund UNICEF, refugee agency UNHCR and World Food Program have been in and around Derna for the past few days to help the survivors.
UNICEF teams have delivered 'medical kits to primary care services to support 15,000 people for three months' while the UNHCR distributed supplies including blankets, tarpaulins and kitchen equipment to 6,200 displaced families in Derna and Benghazi, said UNSMIL.
'So far food rations have been distributed to over 5,000 households through the World Food Program, and 28 tons of medical supplies have been shipped by charter flight from the World Health Organization, which has also donated ambulances and medical kits.'
Last week, the United Nations launched an aid appeal for more than $71 million for the emergency response in Derna and other parts of eastern Libya.
Get a daily dose of Sierra Leone Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Sierra Leone Times.
More InformationTOKYO, Japan: Nissan is reportedly considering shutting down two car assembly plants in Japan and several overseas factories, including...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks weakened across the board on Tuesday, led by the tech sector once more. I would say that the largest...
SAN FRANCISCO, California: Google One, Alphabet's subscription service that offers cloud storage and AI-powered features, has surpassed...
BEIJING, China: China's sales of heavy trucks could be dominated by electric vehicles by 2028, with battery-powered models potentially...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden: Apple has blocked access to the popular video game Fortnite on iPhones in the United States and through Epic Games'...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks struggled on Monday as a further downgrading of U.S. debt by Moody's sent the dollar sliding and Treasury...
Melbourne [Australia], May 21 (ANI): First-class cricket is set to make a long-awaited return to Darwin after nearly two decades, with...
Washington DC [US], May 21 (ANI): Steven Smith is likely to play a few matches for Washington Freedom in the 2025 Major League Cricket...
Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 21 (ANI): Reiterating the remarks made by Indian Ambassador to Israel, JP Singh over 'Pakistan...
New York [US], May 21 (ANI): Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Parvathaneni Harish while delivering India's statement...
(250521) -- KAMPALA, May 21, 2025 (Xinhua) -- A visitor learns about a coffee product during the Uganda-China Coffee Trade and Investment...
(250521) -- YAOUNDE, May 21, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Cameroonian President Paul Biya (1st L) and other dignitaries watch a military parade...