IOM appeals for $13.3 mn in response to Yemeni floods

Aden (Yemen), Sep 6 (IANS) The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has issued an urgent appeal for $13.3 million to "help hundreds of thousands affected by Yemen floods".

According to the IOM's press statement on Thursday, the severe flooding and violent windstorms in Yemen have affected nearly 562,000 people, and the appeal aims to deliver urgent life-saving assistance for the affected.

"Yemen is facing yet another devastating chapter in its relentless crisis, exacerbated by the intersection of conflict and extreme weather events," Matt Huber, acting chief of mission for IOM Yemen, was quoted as saying in the statement.

According to the UN organisation, the recent torrential rains and flooding have wreaked havoc across multiple provinces in Yemen, including Ibb, Sanaa, Marib, Hodeidah, and Taiz, Xinhua news agency reported.

In recent months, torrential rains and flooding in the country have destroyed homes, displaced thousands of families, and damaged critical infrastructure, including health centres, schools, and roads, said the statement.

It added that thousands of people have been left without shelter, clean water, or access to basic services, and "scores of lives have been tragically lost".

Ma'rib Governorate has been particularly hard-hit, with strong winds since August 11 severely damaging 73 displacement sites and affecting more than 21,000 households. Public services, including electricity networks, have been severely affected, aggravating the crisis in one of Yemen’s most vulnerable regions. Urgent shelter repairs and cash assistance are needed, with healthcare services and sanitation infrastructure among the most immediate priorities.

Since early August, floodwaters have damaged shelters, roads, water sources, and medical facilities, leaving more than15,000 families in Al Hodeidah and 11,000 in Ta'iz in desperate need of emergency support. These rains have not only led to tragic loss of life but have also wiped out entire communities' belongings and means of survival.

The natural disasters occur at a time when Yemen is already facing a cholera outbreak and rising food insecurity.

The combination of crises has further strained the country's healthcare systems and heightened the vulnerability of displaced families.

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