Floods Devastate Derna, Libyan Authorities Cut Off Access

=Libyan authorities have taken the drastic measure of sealing off the flood-devastated port town of Derna from civilians, in an effort to give emergency aid workers the space they need to operate and reduce the risk of contamination from standing water. The move comes as the death toll from the disaster continues to rise, with official projections indicating that at least 11,000 people have lost their lives.

The decision to restrict access to the town was made after the Libyan Red Crescent raised its estimate of the number of dead and missing. The UN has launched an appeal for $71 million to support relief efforts, which have been affected by the flooding that hit north-east Libya early on Sunday morning. The disaster has left 884,000 people affected, with many forced to flee their homes to escape the destruction.

The scene in Derna is one of utter devastation, with bodies littering the streets, washing back on shore, and buried under collapsed buildings and debris. Divers are combing the coastal waters of the city, trying to recover the bodies of those who were lost in the floodwaters. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Committee of the Red Cross have issued a joint statement, urging Libyans to stop burying the dead in mass graves.

“We see too many cases where media reports and even some medical professionals get this issue wrong,” said Pierre Guyomarch, the head of the ICRC’s forensics unit. “The belief that dead bodies will cause epidemics is not supported by evidence. Those who survive an event like a natural disaster are more likely to spread disease than dead bodies.”

The closure of the town has done little to stave off the growing anger at the way politicians have handled the crisis. The Libyan government has faced criticism for issuing unclear evacuation orders before the floods, and for failing to do anything to siphon water off the two dams, which had been done before. Many Libyans are calling for an international investigation into the causes of the disaster, to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.

Elham Saudi, the director of Lawyers for Justice in Libya, said that an international inquiry is required to prevent a cover-up. “Impunity can no longer be the norm in Libya,” she said. “We have seen this in action on several occasions in recent days, including [speaker of the House of Representatives] Aguila Saleh telling Libyans ‘don’t say if we had done this or that … this is a natural disaster’ in his first address to the nation since the floods.”

The disaster has also highlighted the ongoing domination of militias in the town, with a coordination meeting held on Thursday between representatives of various brigades accused of trying to take control of aid distribution. Despite the chaos, however, there are signs of solidarity and cooperation, with Libyan TV stations coming together to start an appeal for the region, and Friday prayers devoted to those affected.