[Field Story] Yemen, Severe Floods Cause Major Damage Nationwide... 150 Dead, Thousands Evacuated

A total of 150 people have died and thousands have fled their homes due to heavy rain and flooding in several provinces across Yemen, sources from the Yemeni Houthi government and UN relief agencies reported on the 1st (local time).

A Houthi Health Ministry official, who was not authorized to speak on condition of anonymity, said that the number of deaths from the heavy rain and flooding has now reached 152.

According to the official, nearly 40 residents lost their lives in Al Mahwit Province in the northwestern region on the night of the 27th of last month when a dam collapsed due to heavy rain.

In addition, the same source said that on the 30th, 28 more people died due to various flood-related accidents in Dhamar Province in the western part of Yemen, which is under the control of the Houthi army.

The area most affected by the floods in Yemen that began in early August was Al Hudaydah Governorate in the Houthi region, with 84 people killed and 25 injured.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the floods that began in mid-July have occurred throughout Yemen. The areas most affected so far have been the western and northwestern governorates.

The UNHCR announced that in the western Malhan area of ​​Al Mahwit Governorate alone, 56,000 houses were destroyed by the floods and more than 1,000 families were displaced and became refugees.

These deadly floods have caused massive destruction of important infrastructure throughout the country, submerged vast tracts of farmland, and flooded or blocked roads.

The damage caused by natural disasters is further deepening the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which has already been devastated by a long-term civil war, foreign media reported.

In Yemen, the civil war between the internationally recognized Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels who overthrew them and took over the capital Sanaa and the northern region since late 2014 has already resulted in the displacement of 4.5 million internally displaced people.

The UNHCR said that 85% of families affected by the civil war are now on the verge of starvation, having difficulty obtaining even the most basic necessities.

Yemen’s infrastructure and health care system, which had already collapsed due to the long civil war, have shown themselves to be woefully inadequate in the face of this natural disaster.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni government is appealing to the international community for emergency assistance to prevent the country’s cultural heritage from being damaged by the ongoing flooding.

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As of August 11, the death toll from the extreme rains and flooding in Yemen had reached 61, according to the Executive Unit for the Management of Displaced Persons Camps.

The death toll has increased by more than 90 since then.

Source: Newsis

Rise up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love! (Psalm 44:26)

Since the Arab Spring of 2011, many infrastructures and healthcare systems have already collapsed in Yemen due to civil war, and now we are hearing the sad news that thousands of people have been evacuated due to heavy rain and flooding.

The current damage situation is also being announced by the Houthi rebels who occupy the capital Sanaa and the northern region, not the internationally recognized Yemeni government, so the specific damage situation is expected to be even greater.

We pray that God's mercy will be poured out on the Yemeni people, who are already facing imminent death due to the civil war, with 85% of the population not receiving even basic necessities, and with the flooding that came as a surprise.

In the midst of the devastation caused by civil war and floods, let them realize that even if they cry out to Allah, the vain god, they will only receive silence, and let them know that there is no one who will rise up to help the Yemeni people and save them through His mercy, but our Lord Jesus Christ who gave His life on the cross for the Yemeni people.

Open the doors of Yemen even more so that the global church can reach out and deliver prayers and practical help, and may the land of Yemen be healed through the messengers of the gospel.

Let the love of Jesus flow like a flood to the souls who have lost their families and their homes, and let the grace that makes the poor rich and grants the eternal kingdom of God, not a land that will one day perish, fill the land of Yemen.

Therefore, let Yemen be quickly recovered and come forward like a bride holding the holy fragrance and joyfully welcoming the coming of our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ!