The distant memories of Derna, a once-thriving Libyan port city, now haunt the world as a monumental disaster. The dams burst over the weekend, sending a tidal wave of despair crashing down on the city, claiming countless lives and displacing thousands more. Mohammed Abu-Lamousha, a spokesperson for the eastern government, aptly described the situation as “disastrous beyond comprehension.”
Thousands of residents, including children and babies, were swept away by the treacherous torrents, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. Hichem Chkiouat, the minister of civil aviation, described the scene as a “virtual apocalypse,” with bodies scattered everywhere – in the sea, in the valleys, and under the buildings. As the sun rises over the ravaged city, the desperate search for survivors intensifies, with hundreds of bodies piled up in cemeteries and fewer than ever able to identify them.
The sheer magnitude of the disaster is evident in the warnings from experts prior to the floods. Engineers had cautioned about the risk of the dams bursting and the urgent need to strengthen their defenses. A 2022 report had warned that if a flood equivalent to one in 1959 was repeated, it would be “likely to cause one of the two dams to collapse, making the residents of the valley and the city of Derna vulnerable due to a high risk of flooding.”
The political terrain in Libya has long been tumultuous, with corrupt government officials and external interference contributing to the country’s collapse. The rival governments in Tripoli and Tobruk, backed by their respective militias, have failed to provide effective governance, leading to widespread neglect of public services and infrastructure.
The Unending Horror of Derna’s Devastating FloodResidents of Derna have been left to fend for themselves, appealing on social media for information about their missing loved ones. Sondos Shuwaib, a local blogger, survived the floods but lost her family. In her harrowing account, she described the chaos and devastation she witnessed, saying, “There were corpses next to me, and corpses above me, and corpses beneath me.”
The situation in Derna is a stark reminder of the devastating impact of climate change, corruption, and incompetence. As the search for survivors continues, the international community must come together to provide aid and support to the affected families. Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Chief Yasser Arafat was reported to have said Libya’s disaster was a testament to its poor governance and infrastructure.