Nearly 300,000 Children Affected in Libya after Storm Daniel

Storm Daniel unleashed havoc across eastern Libya on Sunday, bursting dams and destroying buildings in many towns, but particularly in Al Bayda, Al Marj and the coastal city of Derna. Derna, a town of about 90,000 people, was already severely affected by conflict and its path to recovery is now set back years given the immense devastation.

At least 11,300 are now believed to have died after torrents of water ripped through eastern Libya — a devastating toll that could largely have been avoided, global officials said Thursday.

"The children of Libya are facing yet again another tragedy after over a decade of conflict. Our priority is to scale up life-saving assistance, in particular providing health, water and sanitation supplies, psychosocial support, family tracing and preventing waterborne diseases. To prevent a catastrophe, we can’t afford to lose any time”, said Michele Servadei, UNICEF Representative in Libya, who is currently visiting the areas affected by the floods. “We know from previous disasters across the globe that the aftermath of floods is often more deadly for children than the extreme weather event itself. Children are among the most vulnerable and are at high risk of disease outbreaks, lack of safe drinking water, malnutrition, disruption in learning, and violence.”