A pastoralist family trying to move to shelter ahead of a storm in Bari region was impoverished overnight after losing almost all their livestock on Sunday.
Mohamed Ibrahim, head of the family, told Radio Ergo he was moving with his wife and 12 children to escape the storm that was forecast to hit their home town of Hadeed.
But as they camped out in the open heading to Heysimo, where they thought they would be safe, they were caught up in the storm.
“Strong cold winds caught us from 10:30pm and lasted up to 4am. It was moving fast and the winds brought down a lot of trees,” said 56-year-old Mohamed.
The storm from the Indian Ocean hit several small towns and villages along the coastal strip of Bari region, displacing close to 3,000 families. An estimated 4,000 heads of livestock were lost.
Mohamed’s family lost 460 goats and sheep and were left with just 40 animals.
The family managed to make it to Haysimo town with their remaining animals but they fear they may not recover their livelihood.
Storms also hit Alula and neighbouring areas over the past two weeks. Unknown numbers of families were displaced and livestock killed.
