Days of very heavy rain resulted in major flooding across Djibouti, killing 9 people in Djibouti City. Over 30,000 families are affected and houses, shops, schools and infrastructure are damaged. Roads and bridges has been damaged in other parts of the country.
The Government of Djibouti has declared a state of emergency, activated its emergency plan, opened support centres for flood victims and has requested international support. Civil protection agencies and line ministries have been deployed to pump out floodwater. UN agencies are deploying existing stocks and seeking additional funding for the response. Foreign armed forces based in Djibouti have also been supporting the response.
Initial emergency needs include large capacity motor pumps, sludge disposal systems, medical and hygiene kits, food and non-food items, water purification systems and emergency shelter. Additional rains are forecast in the coming days, which are likely to further exacerbate the humanitarian situation.
The European Union activated its Copernicus emergency mapping service and one delineation map has already been produced. A DG ECHO regional rapid response expert has been deployed to Djibouti.