25 year-old Faduma Ahmed Mohamed was with her family at her home in Tabin village when the cyclone hit. She recounts the loss of almost 450 goats. “My husband and I tried so hard to save them, but we couldn’t. The heavy rains and strong winds started so fast. I held my two youngest babies close to my chest as the other four children gripped my husband’s hands and legs. They were screaming.”
On November 10th 2013, a tropical cyclone brought strong winds, heavy rain and flash floods to Somalia’s north eastern Puntland region. At least 80 people were killed and many more are still missing. Hypothermia and exposure are thought to have caused the deaths of many young children and the elderly. More than 100,000 people have been left in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
Immediate effects see families without homes, and possessions destroyed as result of flash flooding which damaged villages, roads and fishing boats. However a further devastating impact has been the loss of at least 100,000 livestock – camels, goats and sheep, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of people.
In the short term, the risk of disease remains high with many water sources destroyed and others at risk of contamination from dead animals. In the long term, the ability of communities to cope with the daily challenge of maintaining a livelihood with the recurrent threat of natural disasters remains a major concern.
Khadar Askar is part of CARE’s emergency team on the ground in Eyl – just one of the districts hit by the cyclone. “I sat with an 85 year-old man who’d built a small circular fence out of leaves and branches to protect himself from the harsh conditions. He lost his home and all his belongings in the cyclone.
I also met Abshiro – a woman who had left her devastated village in search of family in Elmadobe; another village 15km away. When she reached their home, she found it collapsed. Her family – including a pregnant woman and four children - was trapped inside. The surrounding floods hindered rescue attempts, but she managed to find an axe, cut away at the trees crushing the house and rescue her family.”
CARE is supporting government efforts by providing water and hygiene supplies to 1494 families in 13 villages across Eyl and Dan Gorayo districts. Supplies distributed so far include wheelbarrows, water purification tablets, jerry cans, water filters, hygiene kits and mosquito nets. In addition, the team has provided non-food item kits to 420 families. The kits include sleeping mats, plastic sheets, cooking utensils and water storage containers.
CARE remains committed to the long-term recovery and resilience of those affected and has been awarded a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support these efforts.
Click here to read more about CARE's work in Somalia