Families endured the horror of seeing small children and their property floating away in fast-moving flood waters last week, as heavy rains hit Beletweyne.
Waters flowing back from the hilly areas of the town caused flooding that caught most of the families unprepared on Thursday night, despite the earlier warning of an El Nino phenomenon.
However, nobody was reported to have been killed in this incident, although many residents have been left once again with homes and belongings destroyed.
Mohamed Hassan Ahmed, a resident of the worst hit Koshin area, spoke to Radio Ergo’s local reporter.
“The floods washed away children and household items but luckily we managed to rescue the children,” said Mohamed, whose family of eight is among the 190 families that were displaced from Koshin.
They have now settled in an open field in El-Jaale, on slightly higher ground outside Beledweyne town.
At least 400 families have been displaced in Beledweyne altogether following the heavy downpours that lasted around eight hours.
Those affected lived in Koshin, Hawo Tako and Horsed neighborhoods all in the eastern side of the town.
Another 210 families were displaced from Hawo Tako and Horsed neighborhoods, as confirmed by officials from the Beledweyne district administration. The families are staying with their relatives living in less affected areas within the town.
Maalim Mohamud Hassan Abdille is among those displaced from HawoTako.
“People did not get any help, some fled to the outskirts of the town while others, just like us, now live with their relatives within the town. Our relatives are themselves grappling with the challenges caused by the floods and so we are a burden to them,” he said.
Radio Ergo’s Beledweyne correspondent said the three affected neighborhoods are adjacent to water channels that fill up with river water flowing down from the hilly areas outside town. The area is therefore not suitable for habitation but has seen massive development of housing settlements in the past 20 years.
Koshin, Hawo Tako and Horsed neighborhoods regularly witness flooding during the rainy seasons. Earlier this year, 12 people including children and elderly people died in flooding after the Gu’ rains.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, floods washed away four children aged four to six years old after heavy rains over a day and night period in Malmal-kuus location northeast of Sakow town in Middle Jubba region.
Two of the children aged six were washed away as they herded goats in Malmal-kuus location following the heavy rains which pounded the area on Sunday and Monday. The other two were washed away by raging flood waters as they slept in their makeshift house, as confirmed by Batulo Aden, a relative.
Radio Ergo’s Juba regions correspondent, who spoke to local people by phone, said a number of goats were drowned and several buildings collapsed in Malmal-kuus.
It is believed this is the onset of the El Nino rains forecast to hit Somalia over the next three months.
Authorities have asked people living below hilly areas and near rivers to migrate to higher ground to avoid the likelihood of being caught in floods.
