Page 9 - AT

A9
WORLD NEWS Friday 15 November 2019
Somalia struggles after worst flooding in recent history

By ABDI GULED the rescue operations and
Associated Press the Somali government air-
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) lifted food.
— Ahmed Sabrie woke up “Many people are still
to find his house half-sub- trapped in their submerged
merged in fast-rising flood houses and we have no ca-
waters. pacity and enough equip-
Frightened and confused, ment to cover all areas,”
he herded sleepy family said Abdirashakur Ahmed,
members onto the roof of a local official helping to
their home in central Soma- coordinate rescue opera-
lia as scores of thousands of tions. Hundreds are thought
people in the town, Beled- to still be stuck.
weyne, scrambled for their With more heavy rains and
lives. Clinging to an elec- flash flooding expected, of-
tric power pylon by the ficials warned thousands of
edge of the roof, the family displaced people against
watched as their posses- returning too quickly to
sions were washed away. their homes.
“I could hear people, More than 250,000 people
perhaps my neighbors, across Somalia were dis-
screaming for help but placed by the recent se-
I could only fight for the In this photo taken Monday, Nov. 4, 2019, a child swims in the floodwaters as others walk past, in vere flooding, according
survival of my family,” the the town of Beledweyne, in central Somalia Monday, Nov. 4, 2019. to the Norwegian Refugee
38-year-old Sabrie, the fa- Associated Press Council.
ther of four, recalled. As Beledweyne town was the
one of his children, unfed, Africa nation must prepare could rise. groups. worst affected. Several
wailed the family waited for the extremes expected “This is a catastrophic With no proper emergency thousand people were
for more than 10 hours be- to come with a changing situation,” Mayor Safiyo response plan for natu- sheltering under trees or in
fore a passing rescue boat climate. Sheikh Ali said. President ral disasters, local rescu- tents.
spotted them. At least 10 people went Mohamed Abdullahi Mo- ers used rickety wooden “Floods have destroyed
Authorities have not yet missing when their boat hamed, who visited the dhows to reach trapped more than three-quarters
said how many people capsized after the Shabelle town and waded through people while helicopters of Beledweyne and sub-
died in the flooding last river burst its banks. Local submerged areas, called provided by the United Na- merged many surround-
month, Somalia’s worst in officials have said at least the devastation “beyond tions plucked people from ing villages,” said Victor
recent history and the latest 22 people in all are pre- our capacity” and plead- rooftops. African Union and Moses, the NRC’s country
reminder that the Horn of sumed dead and the toll ed for more help from aid Somali forces have joined director.q

Strained French public

hospital workers protest

cost cuts

Associated Press for the Paris march, waving
PARIS (AP) — Thousands banners and sharing stories
of exasperated nurses, about growing patient wait
doctors and other public times, bed shortages and
hospital workers marched other problems.
through Paris on Thursday Shrinking investment and
to demand more staff and lack of reform are taking
resources after years of a toll on France’s often-
cost cuts. praised health care system.
Before the day was done, The government has been
the French president said working on a support plan
an action plan would be for hospitals that protesters
announced next week. fear will be too modest to
The protest and strike chan- solve the problem.
neled anger that’s long President Emmanuel Ma-
been bubbling among cron took up the chal-
France’s nearly 1 million lenge, announcing during
public hospital workers. a visit to Epernay, in the
Emergency room staff Marne region, that an ac-
have held a rolling strike tion plan will be presented
since March. next Wednesday that in-
Decked in white coats, cludes “more means, but
rheumatologists, anesthesi- not only.”
ologists, gynecologists and “The situation is graver than
others from around France what we had analyzed,”
braved the November chill he said.q