Most of the thousands of deaths from the floods in eastern Libya “could have been avoided” if the country’s warning and emergency entities had been organized, the leader of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said today.
With better coordination in this country devastated by a serious political crisis, “alerts could have been issued and emergency management services could have been evacuated, and most of the human losses could have been avoided,” said Petteri Taalas at a conference press conference held in Geneva. , Swiss.
A tsunami-like flash flood hit eastern Libya on Sunday, killing 11,300 people and leaving thousands missing.
Rising waters destroyed two dams near the city of Derna, destroying entire blocks of homes. According to Petteri Taalas, the disorganization affecting Libya – including its meteorological services – largely contributed to the magnitude of the disaster.
The leader of that United Nations agency also highlighted that the internal conflict that has disturbed the country for several years “largely destroyed the meteorological observation network”and computer systems.
Flooding occurred and no evacuation took place because the early warning systems that would have been appropriate were not working,” he said.
If people had been removed from the affected areas, the The number of human victims would have been much lower, he assured..
Contrary to what Peterri Taalas maintains should have been done, a curfew was declared in several cities in the east of the country, including Derna, forcing citizens to stay at home.
Of course, we cannot completely avoid economic losses, but we could also have minimized them by implementing appropriate services,” he said.
Libya’s National Meteorological Center issued severe weather warnings 72 hours in advance and informed government authorities by email, urging them to take preventive measures.
Authorities in eastern Libya declared a state of emergency on Friday and created a crisis unit, but the WMO believes it is not clear that “[os alertas] were really revealed“.
Mediterranean Storm Daniel caused devastating flooding in many cities in eastern Libya from Sunday night to Monday, but The destruction was worst in Derna, where entire neighborhoods disappeared..
The two destroyed dams released a total of 33 million cubic meters of water.. According to the mayor of Derna, the death toll in the city could rise to 20,000, of which 30,000 have already been displaced.
According to local authorities, There are at least 5,200 dead, although sources from the Libyan unity government have indicated 6,000 dead.
Libya has been divided for more than a decade between two rival administrations: one in the east and one in the west, each supported by different militias and foreign governments.
The conflict has left the oil-rich North African country in chaos, with disintegrated and inadequate infrastructure.
Storm Daniel hit the country after wreaking havoc last week in Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey, where nearly 30 deaths occurred.
Source: Observadora
