Yemen: Over 9,000 families displaced by severe flooding

Over 9,000 families have now been displaced by flooding in Yemen, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported on Friday.

The majority of those displaced are in the Marib governorate in north east Yemen, and are in urgent need of immediate humanitarian assistance, the organisation said.

Heavy rains along with storms have forced thousands of families in Marib to leave their damaged homes seeking safety.

The IOM regional office for the Middle East and north Africa said that around 7,800 shelters for the displaced were partially destroyed, while another 1,350 shelters were completely destroyed.  

While the organisation said that emergency relief has already been provided to around 3,500 affected families so far, more storms are expected, meaning the situation remains critical.

According to The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the Houthi rebels who control the area announced on Friday that the death toll from the floods in the western province of Hodeidah has gone up to 84 since the start of August.

A statement from the Houthi-affiliated Saba News Agency said around 25 people have been injured in the flooding this month.

"The floods reached the northern entrance to Al Hodeidah city, flooding hundreds of homes and properties, causing severe damage to infrastructure, housing and agricultural properties and cutting off a number of roads," the statement read.

Other parts of Yemen have also been affected, with five killed and 17 reported missing in the Wasab Al-Safil district in Dhamar governorate, south of the capital Sana’a.

Local sources told Al-Arabu Al-Jadeed on Saturday that that several houses were swept away by floods in the village of Al-Jarf in the Quwair Bani Musa area of the Wasab Al-Safil district after a water barrier burst.

The sources added that one woman was killed and three children remain missing. Residents said they found three bodies of a man, woman and child in the Al-Alaya area, as searches continue for others missing.

Search efforts and rescue operations have been carried out in "primitive" ways, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported, amidst an absence of assistance from authorities.

Earlier, dozens were reported dead and missing in the Al Mahwit governorate following intense rains.

Over 33,000 families throughout the country have been impacted by the floods since the monsoon season began in Yemen mid-July.

The extreme weather has exacerbated the humanitarian situation in the country, where over 18.2 million people already required assistance before the flooding hit.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since 2014. The situation worsened when a Saudi-led coalition, siding with government forces against Houthi rebels, intervened six months later.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that around $4.9 million is urgently needed for emergency response efforts, as the Yemeni government made an urgent appeal to international organisations and donors for assistance in rebuilding parts of the country damaged by flooding.