CHAPTER 3
FLOODS IN LIBYA
Between September 10 and 11, 2023, Storm Daniel struck the east of Libya, causing severe flooding and damage, particularly in coastal cities like Benghazi, Sousa and Toukara. The disaster escalated when two dams collapsed, releasing millions of cubic meters of water that flooded Derna, a city of 90,000 people. According to a November 2023 update by the United Nations Office for the Coordi- nation of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 250,000 people, including about one-third children, were affected, with 44,800 displaced, 4,352 confirmed dead and over 8,000 still missing at the time. Storm Daniel caused severe damage to transport infra- structure in Eastern Libya, with the a rapid post-disaster needs assessment, 18 conducted by the United Nations, the World Bank Group and co-funded by the EU, estimated total damages and losses at US$161 million. The storm affected 20 municipalities, damaging 673 km of roads, nearly 5 percent of the total network. Benghazi, Al Bayda, Sousa and Derna bore over 80 percent of the damage. Around half of the road network became impassable due to flash floods and mudslides. The damage disrupted mobility, access to essential services and relief efforts.
The estimated recovery and reconstruction costs for the transport sector in the impacted areas was US$209 million. This includes US$63 million for short-term recovery, focusing on urgent debris removal and restoring access, as well as US$146 million for medium and long-term rebuilding efforts, including climate-resilient infrastructure, long-term rehabilitation programs and the development of early warning systems. The 2023 storm and floods represented a severe climatic and environmental disaster for Libya. Climate change is considered to have increased the likelihood of floods by up to 50 times and intensified them by as much as 50 percent compared to a climate that is 1.2°C cooler. 19
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