The city of Derna (eastern Libya), inhabited by about 120,000 people, was subjected to major destruction after Storm Daniel (International Crisis Group)
About 6 months after the flood disaster that struck eastern Libya, the city of Derna has begun to catch its breath, and its residents are doing something like they were before last September, and it has become possible to estimate the true extent of the damage.
But the World Bank says that the recovery and reconstruction needs in the wake of the catastrophic floods that struck eastern Libya are estimated at $1.8 billion, and that the impact of the disaster affected approximately 1.5 million people. This is equivalent to 22% of the Libyan population.
Claudia Gazzini, a Libyan affairs expert at the International Crisis Group, says that it is not possible to complete an integrated reconstruction project in Derna in light of the political division between the governments of eastern Libya and Tripoli.
Ghazini adds that the reconstruction movement has already begun, and there is work on reconstruction and building bridges and power plants, but all of this is not within the framework of a comprehensive plan, and amid residents’ questions about the fate of their old city.
An aerial photo of the city of Derna after the disaster in September 2023 (Al Jazeera)
The remains of the Boumansour Dam, which collapsed as a result of heavy rains, and its storage capacity was 22.5 million cubic meters (International Crisis Group)
The Companions Mosque was opened in 1975 and became the largest mosque in the city of Derna and one of the largest mosques in Libya, but it was not spared the disaster (International Crisis Group)
After about two months, flood waters remained in the heart of the old city of Derna, with about 1.5 million people affected, equivalent to 22% of Libya’s population (International Crisis Group)
The valley area was the most vulnerable to destruction after about 18,000 housing units were damaged (International Crisis Group)
Last November, life was beating gently in the heart of the city of Derna, among the rubble and debris of demolished houses (International Crisis Group)
Six months after the disaster, it became possible to pass through the valley area in the heart of the city of Derna towards the Al-Sahaba Mosque, which is witnessing the start of restoration operations (International Crisis Group)
The amount of damage and losses amounted to about $1.65 billion (International Crisis Group)
A plan to build a new city in Derna to accommodate about 44,000 displaced people and those whose homes were destroyed (International Crisis Group)
The World Bank estimates the cost of recovery and reconstruction in eastern Libya at approximately $1.8 billion (International Crisis Group)
A model of the new housing units that will be delivered to the displaced and those whose homes were destroyed as a result of Storm Daniel (International Crisis Group)
After 6 months, the Derna court considers the trial of those responsible for the collapse of the Boumansour and Al-Bilad dams (International Crisis Group)