Tuesday, April 09, 2013
The Shabelle River has overflowed its banks
due to heavy rains, flooding the town of Mahaday in Middle Shabelle,
Somalia's RBC Radio reported Monday (April 8th).
Residents of Mahaday and surrounding towns have started fleeing their
homes, anticipating further flooding in the coming days. Thousands of
people are expected to be affected if the river continues to rise. "The
river seems to continue its flooding and there are not any emergency
efforts to rescue the people," said Mahaday elder Abdirahman Ahmed. He
said residents had not had access to flood prevention or preparation
operations, such as closing riverbank breaches or building dams.
Flooding is common in Somalia during the rainy season. Last year, flooding in Beledweyne killed at least 52 people.