ReliefWeb

SITUATION OVERVIEW

In July and August, for the third time this year, torrential rains and flooding hit Yemen, damaging infrastructure, destroying homes and shelters and causing deaths and injuries. Devastating rains and flooding first hit the country in April, and rains followed again in June, concentrated in southern and eastern governorates. Tens of thousands of families were affected, many of them already displaced. Heavy rains continued sporadically into July, intensifying at the end of the month and the start of August. Governorates across the country were again affected, with Marib, Hajjah, Raymah, Al Mahwit and Al Hudaydah governorates particularly badly hit. Dams have overflowed, roads were damaged and blocked, houses collapsed or were damaged, and shelters and possessions were destroyed, damaged or washed away. In addition, people were drowned and injured, and livestock was similarly affected. Older buildings, including some in Old Sana’a City, have been badly damaged or destroyed. By 7 August, the Ministry of Public Health and Population in Sana’a reported that 131 people had died and 125 had been injured across northern governorates, and 106 homes and private and public facilities had been destroyed and 156 damaged. At the start of August, the Marib health office reported 17 deaths and 4 injuries across the governorate from heavy rains. There are also reports that flooding has moved landmines and other explosive devices into areas not previously contaminated.