IGAD Appeals to Donors to Help Somalia after Cyclone Disaster

Nairobi, 17 Nov 2013 (SDN) -The Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on Sunday called on aid agencies and the international community to help Somalia recover from torrential rains and cyclone floods induced disasters.

In a statement issued in Nairobi, IGAD Executive Secretary Engineer Mahboub Maalim said the capacity of the Horn of Africa nation is limited given the effects of the flood.

“I, therefore, on behalf of IGAD, appeal to the donor governments, IGAD member states, humanitarian agencies, international and regional organizations to respond positively and expeditiously to the appeal made by the Government of Somalia,” Maalim said.

Torrential rains combined with severe storms and flooding hit northern Somalia’s Puntland region causing enormous damage to the population.

Flash floods inundated remote rural areas and coastal towns were severely impacted.

According to the Somali government and other reports, more than 50,000 people have been affected, over 300 persons have lost their lives, thousands of families are rendered homeless and tens of thousands of livestock have perished.

The Somali government has declared a state of emergency and appealed to the international community for immediate response to mitigate the effects of the flood disasters.

“Taking into account the seriousness and the magnitude of the effects of the flood disaster, the international community is called upon to respond as promptly possible,” Maalim said.

Source: http://english.cri.cn