The UAE has carried out a critical aid mission to deliver essential food and shelter to hundreds of families bearing the brunt of devastating floods that swept across Yemen in recent weeks.
Torrential rain and high winds have left a trail of destruction on the country's west coast, causing widespread damage to homes and displacing thousands of residents. Emirates Red Crescent – the philanthropic arm of the UAE government – has led crucial relief efforts to support 960 families affected by the extreme weather.
The ERC has sent shelter tents, food supplies and other relief items to flood-hit areas of Yemen under the campaign, state news agency Wam reported on Monday. The support comes as part of the UAE's wider humanitarian support for people in Yemen, aimed at bolstering the country's development and improving living conditions.
The UN's migration agency – the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) – said last week that 46,000 people had been affected by heavy rain which has lashed parts of the country since early August.
“The floods in Yemen are another devastating blow for families who have already lost so much,” Abdusattor Esoev, IOM’s chief of mission in Yemen, said last week. “People are once again left without homes, belongings and a sense of safety. They need protection, they need assistance, and above all, they need the international community to stand with them.”
Show of solidarity
The aid operation is the latest example of the UAE's long-standing humanitarian commitment to Yemen. In July, the Emirates joined forces with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to lead a campaign to reduce the number of deaths caused by malnutrition on the Yemeni island of Socotra.
Field teams from the UAE and the WHO carried out assessments in the first phase of a drive aimed at cutting malnutrition death rates by up to 20 per cent within the next two to five years. The UAE provided $110 million in humanitarian aid to the people of Socotra from 2015 to 2021, offering assistance to its communities and helping to lay foundations for the future.
The aid was delivered by organisations including the Emirates Red Crescent, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, the Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Humanitarian and Scientific Foundation, and the Abu Dhabi Waste Management Centre.
Vital investment restored Socotra's airport and paid for the construction of two solar power stations, the establishment of four power plants and the installation of power generators in remote villages.
