Floods Cause Widespread Destruction Across Yemen
Between July and September 2024, heavy rains and severe flooding caused widespread devastation across Yemen’s governorates. More than half a million Yemenis were affected, according to the UN, with significant loss of life, disrupted public services, and severe damage to agriculture, homes, and historic landmarks. Yemen’s vulnerability lies in the intensity of rainfall rather than the amount, coupled with the rapid onset of flooding.
By mid-August, the civilian death toll neared 100, with 600 injured and around 69,500 households impacted through the loss of their homes or livelihoods. Over 6,000 families were displaced in Hudaydah, 3,500 in Hajjah, and more than 7,000 in Marib. In regions such as Tihama and Al-Jawf, where around 80 percent of homes are made of clay, houses were more susceptible to collapse.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned that for internally displaced persons (IDPs) already uprooted due to conflict, the rains greatly exacerbated their living conditions, with 85 percent of displaced families unable to meet their daily nutritional requirements. Thousands of shelters for IDPs were damaged across the country. In the Hajjah districts of Haradh, Midi, Hayran, and Abs, heavy rains, floods, and strong winds uprooted tents and disrupted public services, while in Amran, of the 800 families impacted by heavy rains, 300 were camped in tents in IDPs sites. In Sa’ada, the floods impacted 2,000 families, damaging 1,000 shelters and resulting in the death of three IDPs. Meanwhile, response efforts on the ground fell short. Abduh Misaawi, Director General of the Executive Unit for IDP Camp Management in Hajjah governorate, lamented the inadequate response from both the authorities and humanitarian organizations, noting that 24 hours after a distress call was issued, they still had not received help.
Devastating Impact on Agriculture, Yemen’s Vital Backbone
The effects of the floods also took a heavy toll on agriculture, which is the livelihood and lifeline of most Yemeni communities. Torrential rains in Raymah governorate flooded agricultural terraces, blocked numerous roads, and swept away trucks loaded with agricultural products coming from Sa’ada governorate. In the Al-Zaydiyah and Bayt al-Faqih districts of Hudaydah, floods swept away hundreds of farms where mangoes, peppers, and cash crops are cultivated. The weather also had an impact on livestock, with around 279,400 ruminants affected, mostly sheep and goats, a key source of income and food for rural communities. In Taiz governorate, torrential rains destroyed irrigation canals, large areas of agricultural land, and water supply systems, while in Amran, farmers called for tax cuts to compensate for their losses. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, around 98,726 hectares of farmland have been damaged, and another 242,57 hectares have been affected — around 30 percent of the total active agriculture areas in Yemen.
Rural communities bear the brunt of extreme weather in Yemen. This round of floods has led to delays in harvesting and planting for the next season, threatening to exacerbate malnutrition levels, especially among the vulnerable. Given the likelihood of more extreme weather to come, collaboration between the authorities and local communities in developing tools to mitigate the growing impact of climate change is paramount. This should include maintaining Yemen’s wadis, removing obstructions to water flow, and implementing traditional water harvesting and drainage technologies. It also requires a review of structures built on elevated terraces, in valleys, or near flood channels, including IDP camps.
Resurgence of Cholera
While extreme weather devastates lands and communities across the country, cholera outbreaks lurk in the background. Between 2016 and 2021, the number of cholera cases in the country reached 2,500,000, including 4,000 deaths. The total number of suspected cases since January this year has reached 183,702, resulting in 629 deaths, 80 percent of which are concentrated in northern areas controlled by the Houthis. Driving this surge in cholera is the longstanding military conflict, which has severely damaged Yemen’s already fragile sanitation and healthcare system. The war has caused massive internal displacement, and Yemen now hosts some 4.5 million IDPs and refugees. The overcrowded living conditions in camps, insufficient healthcare facilities, and limited access to basic amenities like clean water and sanitation have made IDP camps hotspots for the spread of cholera and other infectious diseases, further exacerbating Yemen’s public health crisis.
The WHO has warned of a severe resurgence of cholera in Yemen as rainy-season flooding further exacerbates the situation. In July, Abdullah Zuhair, Health Director of Hudaydah’s Al-Khawkhah district, said the local medical center was facing a “catastrophic” health situation amid limited medical resources, noting that they had received over 800 cases in the last two months. A doctor working in epidemiological surveillance confirmed that recent heavy rains and poor sanitation services have contributed to the disease’s spread in the district. He warned that Al-Khawkhah – which hosts dozens of camps and centers for IDPs – only has one health center, and that is already operating at maximum capacity. In Marib, the Director of the Health Office, Ahmed al-Abadi, reported 591 cases since the start of the year, including seven deaths, making cholera the most prevalent disease in the governorate, followed by dengue fever, measles, and diphtheria. The Republican Hospital in Sana’a, one of the largest in Yemen, has reportedly been overwhelmed by the increase in cases. Taiz, Dhamar, and Ibb are also experiencing a rise in cholera cases.
Inadequate Response Highlights Need For Action
Acknowledging the severity of conditions faced by Yemenis, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) official Lisa Doughten, in a briefing to the UN Security Council (UNSC) on August 15, said a lack of adequate funding is undermining efforts to address the humanitarian needs of Yemenis, reeling from the combined effects of a growing environmental crisis and the impact of war. Eight months into the year, OCHA’s targeted humanitarian plan for 2024 is only 27 percent funded. In the meantime, efforts to beat the cholera epidemic have proven insufficient. Although the UN-led multi-agency cholera response plan is currently 60 percent funded, it is based on a much lower estimate of cholera cases than currently exists.
Yemen’s precarious humanitarian situation continues unabated, and severe weather is only intensifying the challenges. Managing the impact of climate change, which is expected to intensify extreme weather events, must become a priority of development and humanitarian aid. Yemen ranks sixth in the fragile state index among 179 countries assessed globally and contributes less than 0.03 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions, yet remains one of the least funded countries for climate action globally. The upcoming COP29 conference, to be held next November in Azerbaijan, presents an important opportunity to make the case for Yemen’s plight to the international community and secure funding for recovery, mitigation, and adaptation efforts.