Pray for Libya: Storm Daniel Strikes Derna, Killing Thousands

Libya Needs Our Prayers, Thoughts, and Aid

Storm Daniel hit the eastern parts of Libya on Sunday, bringing heavy rains and flooding. The results were horrifying.

The heaviest rainfall occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning, with some areas receiving up to 250 mm (10 inches) of rain in just a few hours. There were two dams protecting the city. The two dams were the Wadi Derna Dam and the Al-Gharbi Dam. 

Both dams collapsed as a result of the heavy rains and flooding caused by Storm Daniel Medicane. The collapse of the dams released a massive amount of water into the city, which caused widespread damage and loss of life.

The Wadi Derna Dam is located on the Wadi Derna River, which is a major waterway that runs through the city. The dam was built in the 1970s to control flooding and provide water for irrigation. The Al-Gharbi Dam is located on the Al-Gharbi River, which is a smaller river that flows through the city. The dam was built in the 1980s to provide water for drinking and industrial use.

Both of them could not stand against the heavy rain that turned into floods. The floodwaters swept away homes, businesses, and vehicles.

The storm also caused mudslides, which further damaged infrastructure and made it difficult for rescue workers to reach affected areas. There are rescue workers who died while saving the people.

The power grid was knocked out in many areas, leaving people without electricity. The water supply was also disrupted, making it difficult for people to get clean water.

At first, it was reported that 150 people had been killed. By Monday afternoon, that number had jumped to 2,000 in the city of Derna alone. The Libyan government says that over 5,000 people are still missing.

Derna survived ISIS and civil war but did not survive Storm Daniel 

The death toll in Derna is higher than the number of victims of the recent earthquake in Morocco. That earthquake, which was the worst in over a century, killed over 2,800 people nationwide according to the latest official numbers on Monday

In Derna, whole neighbourhoods have been wiped out by the floods. One Libyan official called it the worst natural disaster to hit the country since 1963.

Storm Daniel is a reminder of the vulnerability of Libya's infrastructure to natural disasters. The country's infrastructure has been severely damaged by years of conflict and neglect.

@useralgadem كارثة #درنة ♬ أنشودة إسلامية عذبة - Al Quran Alkareem & Quran

The so-called anti-imperialists/West/NATO have been spreading lies about the Qaddafi regime and how it built Libya and made a modern state. However, the reality is that Libya's infrastructure was in a state of disrepair even before the 2011 uprising.

فيديوات أرسلهم الي صديق من درنة.. الوضع مأساوي جدا..
الله يرحم من فقدناهم ويصبر عائلاتهم.. #درنة #ليبيا #البيضاء pic.twitter.com/pYYT61A3Uw

— Mohamed Elganga (@Elganga90) September 11, 2023

Do you want to see how bad the infrastructure in Libya is, an OPEC country? Just look at Greece, a poor country compared to Libya.

But even with all the political and economic turmoil Greece has faced, it still has a proper infrastructure. Storm Daniel passed through Greece and caused flooding and casualties, but not to the extent that it did in Derna.

The victims are buried in mass graves in Derna 
"Gohar Ali"

The lack of investment in infrastructure has made Libya more vulnerable to natural disasters.

The civil war did not make this, it is nature in Derna 
"Gohar Ali"

Storm Daniel is a medicane, which is a Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone. These storms are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.

The poor state of Libya's infrastructure has made it difficult to respond to the disaster.

The political division of Libya has also made it difficult to respond to the disaster. The two rival governments in the east and west of the country are unable to cooperate on a response. Already I wonder who will be held responsible for the death of more than 2000 people in one night without a fight.

The dead bodies were everywhere on Monday !! The videos are horrible. 

مشهد مرعب لا شي في درنة غير الجثث 💔#انقذوا_الشرق_الليبي #اغيثوا_ليبيا #درنة #اعصار_دانيال pic.twitter.com/kBrj5i14lp

— جلال القبي (@jalaljuma8) September 11, 2023

مشاهد صادمة.. الجثث ملقاة في شوارع #درنة#ليبيا #انقذوا_درنة pic.twitter.com/NvDJa5WULG

— درنة زووم Derna Zoom (@dernazoom) September 12, 2023

Till the early hours of Tuesday, locals in Derna were burying their relatives who died due to the Storm Daniel could not find an extra space in the local cemetery to buy the dead bodies !!

شاهد | مقبرة #مرتوبة لم تعد تتسع لجثث سيول #درنة ونداء استغاثة من أهالي البلدة#ليبيا #انقذوا_درنة pic.twitter.com/Fp4uB6oqmW

— درنة زووم Derna Zoom (@dernazoom) September 11, 2023

I am worried about the Egyptians who live and work in Derna as well as the illegal Egyptian migrants who head to Europe from Derna. I am readying that tens of bodies were found at the docks. 

In a bit of good news, Derna's Martuba airbase has begun to receive foreign aid, including the first batch of aid from Egypt.

North and West Africa is still facing many challenges. That part of Africa has been dubbed the "coup belt" due to the high number of coups that have taken place in recent years. In the past three years, there have been six successful coups in the region, in addition to several failed coups.

The political instability in the region is also being compounded by the effects of climate change. The region is already experiencing more extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods, and heat waves. These events are only going to become more frequent and severe as climate change progresses.

Then we got something like Morocco’s earthquake.

It is unclear which country will be the next to be affected by a coup or a natural disaster.