A report by the World Bank, the United Nations, and the European Union estimates that $1.8 billion will be needed to deal with the aftermath of September's severe flooding in Libya.
"As of November 28 [2023], the human toll has been significant, making Storm Daniel the deadliest storm in Africa since 1900," the report said.
According to the report, the dams' failure was caused in part by their design, which was based on outdated hydrological information, and in part by inadequate maintenance and governance issues that arose during the Libyan conflict.
Physical damages and losses in the country were estimated at $1.65 billion in 2022, which is about 3.6% of the country's GDP.
It is estimated that this rare meteorological phenomenon occurs once every 643 years in northern Libya. However, if the world was 1.2°C cooler, this would be even a more rare event with a return period of 1900 years.
Furthermore, the flooding caused destruction and damages to over 18,500 houses, which accounts for around 7% of Libya's total housing stock. As a result, nearly 44,800 people, including 16,000 children, were internally displaced.
The devastating flooding sparked social unrest: residents of Derna took to the streets, demanding the dissolution of the city's council, requiring Derna's recovery to be entrusted to international authority, the local media reported.
Moreover, the protesters reportedly urged to launch an investigation into those who ruled the city before the flood.
Flooding is a relatively common natural disaster in Africa. In the past few months, Mauritius, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo were hit by torrential rains, causing hundreds of deaths and severe material damage.