Medicane wreaks havoc in Libya - 20th September 2023

Storm Daniel wreaked havoc in Libya taking the lives of tens of thousands on Sunday, 10th September, 2023. Having lashed Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece with torrential downpours, Storm Daniel intensified and ravaged Derna in north-east Libya.

Libya's north-east recorded an unprecedented four hundred millimetres of rainfall within 24 hours in a region which typically receives 1.5 millimetres in the whole September. The weight of the downpour, which peaked around midnight, contributed to the collapse of two major dams, which consequently sent powerful torrents of water gushing through the city of Derna.

Leaving a trail of destruction in its path, this deluge took with it people, vehicles and buildings alike, leaving the city devastated. In the words of the Deputy Director of the Turkish Red Crescent, it was as though "an earthquake had hit at the same time".

With the official death toll in Derna having already passed 11,000, and over 10,000 people unaccounted for, the city's mayor fears the final count could reach 20,000.

Yet the "medicane" - a Mediterranean hurricane - might bear only partial responsibility for the devastation. Experts have highlighted the poor upkeep of the dam infrastructure, thought to have precipitated the disaster that befell the city.

Libya's been in political turmoil since its citizens toppled the dictatorship of former President Kadhafi in 2011, with the country governed by two rival administrations: an internationally recognised government in Tripoli and a rival, eastern administration including the disaster zone. Given the political crisis, attempts to reach the area with aid have been greatly hampered.

Some international aid has finally got through despite the prime minister's initial reluctance to accept outside assistance. In the aftermath, 30,000 Derna residents have been left homeless and at risk of contracting diseases from contaminated water supplies, which the United Nations has raised as an ongoing threat to flood survivors.