People whose homes were swept away by flooding in Libya's eastern city of Derna a week ago faced the dilemma on Sunday of whether to stay and risk infection or flee through areas where landmines have been displaced by the torrents.
The United Nations has revised the death toll from the floods in Libya, stating that at least 3,958 people have died instead of the previously reported 11,300. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) updated the report, citing the World Health Organization (WHO). Over 9,000 people are still missing. The UN s humanitarian affairs office has initiated an appeal for $71 million to aid those affected by the disaster. Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Italy have also provided aid.
Libyan authorities have opened an investigation into the collapse of two dams that caused a devastating flood in a coastal city as rescue teams searched
The twin horrors of Morocco's earthquake and Libya's floods are a reminder that extreme weather caused by climate change is the new normal in the MENA region. Without constant, transnational monitoring, isolated incompetence will make things worse.