TRIPOLI, Sept. 17 (Net) — The special representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya said Sat-urday that the UN is actively collaborating with local authorities and aid agencies to provide aid to those in need following a visit to Derna, the hardest-hit city by floods in eastern Libya.
“I left Derna today with a heavy heart after witnessing the devastation caused by the floods on lives and properties… This crisis is beyond Libya’s capacity to manage, it goes beyond politics and borders,” Abdoulaye Bathily said in a post on social media platform X.
Bathily added that the UN is actively collaborating with local authorities and aid agencies on the ground providing aid to those in need while conducting further assessment of the situation to enhance coordina-tion of the response efforts in Derna and other affected areas.
On Sept. 10, Mediterranean storm Daniel made landfall in Libya, bringing heavy storms and flash floods along its path in the northeast of the war-torn country and causing extensive damage to residential areas and infrastructure.
At least 5,500 people were dead and another 10,000 missing in the disaster, according to the official up-date on Wednesday. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday that more than 38,640 people have been displaced in the most affected areas in northeastern Libya.
The United Nations last week launched an emergency Flash Appeal at the Libyan government’s request to coordinate humanitarian relief totaling 70 million U.S. dollars.
Meanwhile, the UN under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator announced the immediate release of 10 million dollars from the UN’s Central Emergency Relief Fund to support people affected.
