Marib: 4 people died, others were injured, and more than 7,000 displaced families were affected by rain and storms

Four people died and others were injured on Sunday due to heavy rains and storms that hit Ma'rib Governorate, northeastern Yemen.

Marib Governorate witnessed heavy rains and thunderstorms that lasted for hours since Sunday morning, which led to damage to the camps for the displaced and public services. The low pressure system is still continuing and rain is expected in the coming hours.

The Executive Unit for the Management of Displaced Persons Camps in Marib said in a preliminary report that the rains led to the death of four displaced persons and the injury of ten others, and 2,972 displaced families were completely affected, and 4,206 were partially affected in 41 camps.

The Executive Unit appealed to humanitarian organizations to provide urgent assistance to affected families in the city, which is crowded with displaced people.

#Marib
Scattered thunderstorms, flashes of lightning and a sharp thunderous sound that we have never seen before. A thunderstorm accompanied by winds and heavy rains hit parts of the city and valley directorates in #Marib Governorate pic.twitter.com/IE8GjQG6lg

— Matnoukh_Marib🇾🇪🇸🇦 (@Marib_11) August 11, 2024

The report indicated that thousands of families in Marib live in types of temporary and fragile shelter, such as tents, shacks and tarpaulins, which cannot withstand harsh climatic conditions. The damage rate in these transitional housing, such as containers, has reached about 85%.

The Executive Unit called for concerted humanitarian efforts and continuous coordination to provide urgent assistance to affected families, warning of additional risks that may result from continued weather fluctuations.

She stressed the need to provide emergency needs, which include high-quality tents, shelter materials, plastic sheets, in addition to fast food, food supplies, and clothing.

For his part, the Undersecretary of Ma'rib Governorate, Dr. Abdul Rabbo Miftah, explained in a press statement that the emergency committees in the governorate began their work from the first moment of the rain and storms to implement the emergency plan for disasters prepared in advance.

He pointed out that civil defense teams and security services were deployed to assist in the rescue and evacuation of affected families in the camps to schools designated for temporary evacuation.

The Public Works and Roads teams and the Cleanliness and Improvement Fund continued to operate their equipment to build water barriers to protect residential areas and camps from rainwater accumulating in the neighborhoods, according to the governor’s deputy.

Ben Miftah said that the committees assessing the damage and affected families began their work since the end of the first wave of the storm and rain in the early hours of this morning, and will submit their report to the emergency committee this evening.

#Marib
The tragedy of the situation in the camps for the displaced, pic.twitter.com/WCvbT5qJHw

— Ahmed Abdullah. (@ahmedab_2) August 11, 2024

He pointed out that the electricity emergency committees are still continuing the process of repairing what can be repaired of the electricity damage with the aim of restoring electricity to the camps and residential neighborhoods that have been cut off.

Dr. Miftah noted that the work carried out by the Emergency Committee previously to protect the city from the damage caused by torrential rains, by creating sources for the torrents that threatened residential neighborhoods, greatly reduced the damage and mitigated a major disaster that threatened the city.