Over 1.3 Mln Affected by Floods in Yemen

Yemen has experienced a devastating year of torrential rains and flooding, affecting more than 1.3 million people across the country.

According to a recent United Nations report, heavy rains and the subsequent floods caused widespread destruction, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) highlighted in its latest humanitarian report that over 187,000 families, comprising 1.3 million individuals in 20 provinces, were impacted by the extreme weather.

The floods caused severe damage to homes, agricultural lands, critical infrastructure, and public services, including healthcare facilities, schools, water supply systems, and roads.

These damages have significantly disrupted daily life and hindered access to essential services, such as clean water and healthcare, further intensifying Yemen’s humanitarian challenges.

The stagnant water left by the floods has created breeding grounds for diseases, leading to an uptick in waterborne illnesses.

Outbreaks of cholera, malaria, and dengue fever have surged, particularly in severely affected provinces like Al-Hudaydah, Al-Mahwit, and Taiz. In addition to flooding, landslides and flash floods in these regions have caused significant loss of life and property.

To address the crisis, UNICEF, in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has provided emergency relief packages to over 50,000 families (about 350,820 individuals) under the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) during the third quarter of 2024.