The Deputy Head of the the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) Hamza Taşdelen said the impact of Storm Daniel and floods in eastern Libya was similar to an earthquake, saying the situation on the ground was very bad.
Taşdelen told Anadolu Agency that Turkish AFAD volunteers split the storm-ravaged area into priorities based on possible rescue operations of survivors. He also said that they were coordinating with international relief teams on the ground.
“We have 168 volunteers in Libya. They came on board three freighters with frogmen included.” Taşdelen added, saying that humanitarian aid ships were coming to Libyan coast and that AFAD would oversee the distribution of the assistance.
A group of Derna University teaching staff members has called for immediate provision of aids and necessary items for recovering the bodies from under the rubble in certain neighborhoods in the city.
Storm Daniel hit eastern coastal cities, especially Derna, Al-Bayda and Al-Marj, on Saturday. Two dams collapsed in Derna valley, washing away entire neighborhoods and killing entire families. The flood torrent obliterated around a quarter or the Mediterranean city of Derna.
