Yemen Floods Claim 40 Lives, Thousands Displaced

The death toll from heavy rains that lashed western Yemen earlier this week has risen to 40, with 5 others still reported missing, according to Houthi officials and aid workers.

The floods have wreaked havoc across Hodeidah and Hajjah provinces, much of which are under the control of the Houthi group.

More than 500 homes had to be evacuated and many roads were blocked by the floodwaters, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

The UN agency added that aid partners had begun deliveries "amid the need for urgent support" to the thousands of families affected by the deluge.

The displaced persons living in makeshift camps appear to be the hardest hit by the devastating floods.

Hassan Mubarak, an internally displaced person, recounted the horrors of that fateful night.

"We passed through a night known only to God, a night of heavy, extremely heavy rain, until the plastic cover sheets, mud, and houses collapsed, more than three hours of continuous rain that did not stop," he said.

The plight of the displaced persons is particularly dire, as they reside in dilapidated camps built of mud and straw, often located near valleys where they seek proximity to water sources.

Allan Fadhail, the Director of the Humanitarian Affairs Office in Hajjah province, described the extent of the damage.

"Hajjah province, and the displaced people in particular, were affected to very severe disasters due to the floods, where the floods flowed and the rains continued day and night, and the statistics of the damage be it total or partial damage, have reached to about 11,188 affected cases (huts)," he said.

Despite the scale of this humanitarian disaster, which is expected to worsen due to the ongoing rainfall, the response from local and international organizations has yet to meet the needs of affected people.