The Libyan Minister of Economy, Mohammed Al-Huweij, has announced the launching of a housing initiative for the families that survived the floods in Derna and other areas in the eastern region.
Al-Huweij added in a meeting with chairman of the Ministry’s committee for coordinating and supporting relief efforts, Omar Darhoob, as well as a number of officials.
“We have opened a bank account for the funds of the initiative which aims to provide the displaced families that survived the floods with housing units. The initiative includes commerce rooms, relevant authorities in the disaster areas and the council of businesspersons.” Al-Huweij said.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday that its latest Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) had registered around 40,018 individuals who remained displaced after Storm Daniel made landfall in northeastern Libya on 11 September 2023 with some households reportedly moving back home.
Al-Huweij added that the mechanism for the delivery of the funds would be overseen by the Ministry of Economy and the General Union of the Commerce, Industry and Agriculture Chambers as well as the council of businesspersons.
“We call on the committee to follow up on the living conditions of the people in coordination with the relevant authorities in eastern Libya and report periodically on the accomplished milestones so that the reports can be sent then to the government’s cabinet records.” Al-Huweij added.
Storm Daniel and ensuing floods hit eastern coastal cities, especially Derna, Al-Bayda and Al-Marj, on September 10 and 11. Two dams collapsed in Derna valley – an area locally known as Wadi Derna -, washing away entire neighborhoods and killing a number of entire families. The flood torrent obliterated around a quarter or the Mediterranean city of Derna, leaving thousands dead and missing.
The spokesman for the High Committee for Emergency and Rapid Response of the government designated by the House of Representatives (HoR), Mohammed El Jarih, announced on September 24 that 3,868 people had been officially registered as deaths caused by floods, saying in a press conference that this number would likely increase.
