The European Union said Wednesday it has mobilized 3.84 million U.S. dollars in additional humanitarian aid for people affected by devastating floods in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
The EU said 2.2 million dollars was allocated to Somalia to support the provision of emergency aid to the people most affected by the current floods, especially along the Juba River basin.
“The EU is also launching a helicopter deployment for hard-to-reach areas in Somalia via the European Humanitarian Response Capacity. This deployment is expected to be launched in December 2023 and last for two months,” it said in a statement reaching Xinhua.
The El Nino-induced heavy rains and flash flooding have killed nearly 100 people and affected more than 2.3 million others in Somalia, according to the Somali government.
In Ethiopia, the EU said 1.1 million dollars will support humanitarian partners already present in the flood-affected areas. “The support will be mainly through multi-purpose cash transfers and the distribution of shelter and essential items, including for water purification and treatment,” the EU said.
It said the latest funding is in addition to the immediate assistance already being provided on the ground in the Somali, Oromia, and Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s regions.
The raging floods have left at least 46 people dead in Ethiopia while more than 50,000 others have been displaced across the country.
According to the EU, 548,000 dollars was allocated to Kenya where heavy rainfall and landslides have particularly affected areas previously hit by a severe drought — the northeast part of the country.
At least 120 people have died while more than 500,000 others have been affected by the ongoing heavy rains that continue to affect most of Kenya, causing river overflow, floods, and landslides.
“Kenya has also had a recent cholera outbreak. In addition to this funding, 200,000 euros (220,000 dollars) have been allocated to the Kenya Red Cross Society to support its response to the El Nino-aggravated ongoing floods,” the EU said.
