An international report said on Wednesday that the devastating floods that Libya witnessed last September constituted a climate and environmental catastrophe that required $1.8 billion for reconstruction and recovery.
The torrents destroyed vast areas of the city of Derna after the heavy rainfall accompanying Storm Daniel led to the collapse of two old dams, causing floods that drowned entire areas in the Mediterranean Sea.
The report issued by the World Bank, the United Nations and the European Union stated that the disaster affected about 1.5 million people, or 22 percent of Libya’s population, and referred to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs indicating that 4,352 people were killed, while eight thousand are still missing.
The report indicated that the collapse of the two dams was due to reasons including their design based on old hydrological information, as well as poor maintenance and problems related to management in light of the conflict.
He added that other factors exacerbated the disaster, including population growth, limited weather forecasting in the region, and insufficient early warning systems to ensure evacuation.
The report said climate change made rainfall from Storm Daniel 50 times more likely and 50 percent more intense.
It is estimated that the material damage and losses resulting from floods in Derna and other cities as a result of Storm Daniel amounted to $1.65 billion, equivalent to about 3.6 percent of the gross domestic product of oil-rich Libya in 2022.
The report stated that the floods destroyed or damaged more than 18,500 homes, constituting seven percent of the total housing stock in Libya, which initially led to the displacement of approximately 44,800 people, including 16,000 children.