Yemeni people are in badly need of life-saving aid as recent extreme rain-induced severe flooding has continued to wreak havoc in the country, displacing hundreds of thousands of families and worsening the humanitarian crisis there.
In a heartbreaking scene that captures the scale of the disaster, Abkar Ali sat with his children and nephews, looking at a photo of his five-year-old daughter Intisar. She lost her life when raging floods swept her away in front of their mud house in the Al-Milh camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Abs District of northwest Yemen's Hajjah Governorate.
"Intisar went out to the valley next to our house. She fell into a small hole, and then a large flood came and swept her away, leading to her death. They called me and told me my daughter was at the Doctors Without Borders hospital. I went there with her mother, and we saw she had passed away. Her mother has been in a coma for ten days from the shock, and she remains unconscious," said Abkar.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Yemen is facing another devastating chapter in its humanitarian crisis, worsened by prolonged conflict and extreme weather.
In response to the severe flooding affecting over half a million people in Yemen, the United Nations migration agency issued an urgent appeal on Thursday to raise more than 13 million U.S. dollars to provide life-saving humanitarian aid to the badly-hit residents.
Local organizations are also urging immediate help from the international community.
"There is significant damage, and a large number of displaced families and families affected by the floods need care and attention. Currently, the issue of their return to the affected areas is not feasible due to the destruction of homes," said Hanaa Al-Wajih, a staff member at the international cooperation department of the Sanaa-based Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and International Cooperation.
Local authorities are trying hard to deliver food aid and reopen roads destroyed by the floods. They said they are working on a plan to prevent similar disasters in future. The UN Population Fund said its rapid response mechanism has been activated, with more than 50,000 people already receiving assistance.
As the rains continue in some areas of Yemen and warnings of worsening conditions are issued, the affected families are hoping for an early delivery of the urgently needed international relief.
Life-saving aid critical as raging floods displace hundreds of thousands in Yemen
