UAE Stands With Libya, Offers Strong Humanitarian Aid For Derna Floods

In a display of solidarity, UAE landmarks lit up in the colours of the Libyan flag on Wednesday. Burj Khalifa in Dubai and Adnoc’s headquarters in the capital Abu Dhabi delivered messages of support to Libya after deadly floods caused by Storm Daniel killed at least 8,000 people.

Floodwater swept the living away, many of them in their sleep, after a couple of dams burst on the Wadi Derna River during a storm this week, causing waves 23 feet high to rush through an eastern Libyan port city and into the sea.

On Wednesday, floodwater was washing bodies back on to the shores of Derna faster than the devastated city could bury them. It was even getting difficult to count them. Aid groups and officials said some 10,000 people are missing, also feared dead.

Sheikh Mohamed Steps Up UAE Humanitarian Aid

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday ordered urgent relief supplies as well as search and rescue teams to be sent to Libya. According to WAM, food, relief and medical supplies have been delivered to Benina airport in the city of Benghazi.

The support is part of an air bridge established between the two countries following the disaster. The Derna floods came just days after a powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake flattened vast swathes of area in Morocco. Almost 3,000 people are reported to have died in the disaster.

The UAE is also one of the first countries to send aid and rescue teams to Morocco following the deadly tremors. In a written statement on Sunday, Morocco’s interior ministry said the country had accepted offers of assistance from the Emirates and three others.

Looming Risk Of Another Disaster Similar To Derna Floods

The effects of climate change, broken roads, failed communications network and the legacy of years of civil conflict have created the perfect storm for one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, said Elie Abouaoun, country director for Libya with the International Rescue Committee.

Some 30,000 people from Derna alone have been displaced in the floods, according to the International Organisation for Migration. It’s a natural disaster without precedent in a country already grappling with years of complex factional disputes.

Meanwhile, officials in Tocra, to the west of Derna and east of Benghazi, have raised concerns over the risk of a dam in the coastal town collapsing and triggering similar levels of destruction, according to Libyan News Agency. Nearby residents have been urged to leave immediately.

Libya Floods: What Could And Should Have Been Done?

While aid has been slowly coming in, Derna urgently requires manpower. “What is really missing is some more support with search-and-rescue operations because the window of opportunity for finding survivors is closing,” said Abouaoun, of the International Rescue Committee.

He called on foreign governments and international aid agencies to help with the immediate operation. US President Joe Biden has also pledged support, with a number of Libya’s neighbours sending teams and humanitarian supplies.

Currently, attention is also being given to what could or should have been done to prevent the disaster. According to Mustafa Salem, a Derna resident, people in multiple areas were asked to evacuate but some didn’t respond and took matters lightly, Reuters reported.