THE FLASH FLOOD IN THE CITY OF DERNA IN NORTH-EASTERN LIBYA
Abstract
On the night of 10-11 September 2023, a catastrophic flash flood occurred in the city of Derna in north-eastern Libya, resulting in a very high number of casualties, displaced people, destruction, and damage to numerous buildings and other movable and immovable property. The flooding was caused by extremely heavy rains triggered by the Mediterranean cyclone (medicane) Daniel and the collapse of two earthen dams in the Wadi Derna valley south of the city. This part of the country is located in an area of constant armed and political conflict, which has resulted in inadequate flood control, alarm, protection and rescue systems. Based on the available scientific and online sources, the situation in Derna city and the valley area before and after the disaster is reconstructed in this paper. The nature of the weather event, the warning system before the disaster, the course of the flood wave, and the consequences are described. The interpretation touches on the causes of the origin and development of the disaster.
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