At least 57 killed and thousands displaced in Yemen flash floods

Flash floods across Yemen have killed 57 people, and affected more than 34,000 families, following several days of torrential rains.

Al Qanawis directorate in the north and Al Zubeid in the south were the worst affected, the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

The rains, which started in late June, intensified this month, causing widespread flooding.

The floods have destroyed crops and critical infrastructure, including roads and water supply systems, severely damaging the local economy and access to essential services, the International Organisation for Migration said on Monday.

“The magnitude of this disaster is overwhelming and the humanitarian needs are enormous,” said Matt Huber, IOM Yemen’s acting chief of mission.

Yemen’s rainy season begins in late March, and rains intensify in July through mid-August. Last year in March heavy rainfall across the war-ravaged nation caused widespread flooding that cut off several towns.

Some residents have reportedly been stranded inside their homes in Al Mansuriyah district since Tuesday night as roadways have been blocked.

In Hodeidah governorate, one of the hardest-hit areas, the floods have displaced more than 6,000 families and caused severe infrastructure damage, the IOM added.

Local reports said at least 500 houses have been damaged as a result of the flooding and 30 people killed. Several others are missing.

"I was in my family's house that consists of three floors," a Hodeidah resident told The National. "When the rain started to intensify, the electricity was cut off and water started leaking into the house heavily from everywhere, even though we closed the windows.

"We were communicating with my sister on the outskirts of the city, who said the water seeped into her husband's electrical appliances store."

The UN Population Fund-Yemen said this week on the social media platform X that the floods had affected more than 28,000 people living in four districts in Hajjah city.

Rapid response teams led by agency have been carrying out assessment and response operations and recorded about 4,112 families who need emergency relief, the agency said.

Marwan, 36, who works in a restaurant, said the heavy rain broke the glass door of the building and flooded the restaurant's warehouses.

Zainab, 42, a widow living with her children said sewage mixed with the rainwater and flooded into her home.

The head of the Supreme Political Council of the Houthi group, Mahdi Al Mashat, ordered a committee be set up to inspect the areas under threat from the extreme weather.

From July 28 to August 9, a total of 6,042 families were affected in Hodeidah alone, the UN said.

In Hajjah, 2,753 families were affected while in Sa’dah, the number was more than 3,400 and two people were killed.

In Taiz, 6,494 families were affected and 15 people were killed.

The devastation from the floods has worsened Yemen’s already dire humanitarian crisis, where millions are grappling with prolonged war, displacement and poverty.

The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the flooding in Taiz had affected 10,000 people and resulted in 80 wells being buried, the Associated Press reported.

Farmland was washed away and homes were damaged, it said, adding there was a shortage of funding for aid agencies.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation had earlier said Yemen was expected to witness receive cumulative rainfall of 300mm across the Central Highlands and Southern Uplands.