SW News: After countless seasons of drought, devastating floods in Somalia are forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

In a statement, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) revealed the devastating impact of the heavy rains spelling doom for children and their families. Somalia's floods this year have already forced over 400,000 people to flee their homes. The current season's heavy rains in Somalia and the Ethiopian highlands are now expected to cause flash floods that might harm up to 1.6 million people, according to humanitarian partners.

In the Hiran region town of Beletweyne, floods have displaced almost 90% of the residents. Families who have been uprooted by the floods have limited access to necessities like food, water, and shelter.

Even while some villagers in the village are accustomed to floods, they stated that they had never experienced ones of this size and severity. Some of them skip meals or borrow from stores since their homes and latrines have been destroyed, schools and healthcare services have been shut down, and they have lost their daily income.

Twelve settlements are completely cut off and are only accessible by boat. Although there is currently support being given by the local government and organizations, like UNICEF, the need is far greater. The declaration of famine, which was foreseen last year, has been fortunately averted.
Somalia's humanitarian response plan is barely 26% financed as June approaches. The high risk of disease outbreaks like cholera and malaria puts the provision of safe water and sanitation at risk. The water, sanitation, and hygiene sector of the plan is only approximately 11% funded. Now is the time for the international community to show support for avoiding another human disaster, which appears just around the corner.