Yemen’s Tihamah region on the Red Sea coast is facing a severe crisis after days of heavy rain caused deadly flash floods. The disaster has killed at least 45 people, with many more missing. The situation is dire, with little to no relief efforts reaching those in need.
The Yemeni government has called for urgent help to aid the residents of the region, which includes Hodeidah province and parts of Hajjah, Al Mahwit, Raymah, and Taiz.
The government has accused the Houthi group of controlling the region’s resources, such as ports and farmland, without offering any assistance to those affected by the floods.
With statistics hard to come by, estimates suggest that over 100 people are missing and more than 500 homes have been damaged in varying degrees. Thousands of families, many living in mud or straw houses, have been displaced. Social media is flooded with images and videos revealing the scale of the disaster.
Local sources in the affected areas told Asharq Al-Awsat that dozens are missing, with some estimating the number could exceed 100 due to the breakdown in communication and road closures.
The Yemeni government has urgently called on UN and international organizations to provide immediate aid to those impacted by the floods.
Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, after speaking with ministers and local officials, received initial reports on the flood damage and called for urgent international support to deliver emergency humanitarian aid.
Ali Hamid Al-Ahdal, the media officer for Hodeidah province, told Asharq Al-Awsat that most of the flood victims are in areas controlled by the Houthis. He called on international and local organizations, as well as charities, to quickly provide aid.
Al-Ahdal accused the Houthis of making the situation worse by constructing large barriers and military trenches in flood zones, which caused the water to overflow into homes, farms, and other properties.
He also warned residents to stay indoors to avoid landmines that the floods have swept from fields into roads and farmlands. Al-Ahdal urged the immediate reopening of the road between Hays and Al-Jarrahi, which the Houthis have blocked.
Social media images and videos show dozens of landmines that were dislodged by the floods, now posing a serious threat to residents and their livestock. These mines had been hidden in fields that the Houthis refused to disclose for years.
