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BBC OS Conversations: The floods in Libya

Factual

The floods in Libya

22/09/2023 GMT

BBC World Service - BBC OS Conversations, The floods in Libya

Libyans share their experiences of the disaster in Derna

Libyans share their experiences of the disaster in Derna.

Storm Daniel delivered 300 times more rain than expected onto the north-east coast of Libya, causing two dams to burst and water up to 30 meters high to tear through the coastal city of Derna. The immense power of the flood smashed everything in its path, claiming thousands of lives and leaving shattered buildings, bridges and mountains of mud.

Since the disaster, we have been hearing from people in the city, who have been sharing their thoughts and experiences. Amna was trapped inside her home in a building block as the water rose. “We went on the roof and as we were able to see the rain, the thunder, the lightning,” she tells us. “We felt an earthquake, but it wasn’t an earthquake, it was actually the buildings next to us collapsing.”

It is estimated that some 40,000 people have been forced to leave their homes, and that tens of millions of dollars are urgently needed to provide aid and help on the ground. Host James Reynolds also speaks to Khalil and Mohammed, who were among the first to reach Derna to offer help. 

We also bring together Nafisa and Sarah in the United States who have friends and family in the region. Nafisa speaks of her anger about the floods. People say there were insufficient warnings ahead of the disaster and there are questions around how the dams were able to collapse. 

A co-production between the BBC OS team and Boffin Media.

(Photo: A girl, who survived the deadly storm that hit Libya, looks out the window from a classroom at the Um almoumanen school, where her family take shelter in Derna, Libya September 20, 2023. Credit: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters)

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