Droughts, famines and displacement
Cyclones that hit Somalia, 2013 to 2020: Puntland 2013, Sagar, Pawan and Gati
Four tropical cyclones struck Somalia between 2013 and 2020. The November 2013 cyclone in Puntland killed 162 people and about 1 million livestock. Cyclone Sagar hit Awdal and Woqooyi Galbeed in May 2018. Cyclone Pawan hit Puntland in December 2019. The Red Cross called Cyclone Gati, on 22 November 2020, "the strongest ever storm to hit Somalia"; it brought more than a year's rain to Bari in two days.
In short
| Cyclone | Date | Areas hit | Deaths | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puntland cyclone | 10 November 2013 | Puntland | 162 | ReliefWeb, TC-2013-000140-SOM |
| Sagar | 17–20 May 2018 | Awdal, Woqooyi Galbeed, Bari, Sanaag | not totalled | ReliefWeb, TC-2018-000059-SOM |
| Pawan | 6–8 December 2019 | Nugaal, Bari, Sanaag | 2 in Las Qoray | ReliefWeb, TC-2019-000165-SOM |
| Gati | 22–25 November 2020 | Bari, Sanaag | at least 8 to 9 | ReliefWeb, TC-2020-000232-SOM |
Each ReliefWeb record gathers the situation reports of OCHA, the Red Cross (IFRC), FAO and others, with dates. The quotes below come from those reports.
November 2013: the Puntland cyclone
A tropical cyclone hit Puntland on 10 November 2013. With the flash floods that followed, it killed 162 people, killed about 1 million livestock and destroyed over 1,000 houses, according to government figures cited by the IFRC (ReliefWeb, TC-2013-000140-SOM; IFRC, 11 December 2013).
- Herders lost 70 to 90% of their animals. Irrigation farmers lost their crops and pumps. Fishermen lost boats and gear.
- The Puntland government declared a natural disaster on 11 November and asked for international help.
- Aid began to arrive on 14 November. By 24 November over 5,000 households had received food and other supplies from WFP, the ICRC, IOM, the Puntland government, local people and the Somali diaspora.
May 2018: Cyclone Sagar
Sagar formed in the Gulf of Aden on 16 May 2018 and brought heavy rain to the Puntland coast on 17 May. There were flash floods in Bari, damage to the road south from Bosaso, and fishing boats washed away off Sanaag (ReliefWeb, TC-2018-000059-SOM; OCHA, 19 May 2018).
- Sagar made landfall in the west. Most deaths were in coastal Woqooyi Galbeed and Awdal, where houses were destroyed and livestock washed away (OCHA, 20 May 2018).
- Floods slowed aid workers' access (OCHA, 20 May 2018).
- By 20 May the storm was weakening over Ethiopia, Djibouti and north-west Somaliland, about 140 km from Hargeisa (OCHA, 20 May 2018).
December 2019: Cyclone Pawan
Pawan reached the Puntland coast on 7 December 2019. Two people died in floods in Las Qoray, Sanaag, and roads to the town were damaged (ReliefWeb, TC-2019-000165-SOM; ECHO, 10 December 2019).
- The worst-hit areas were Eyl and Dangorayo in Nugaal, Qardho in Karkaar, and Alula, Iskushuban and Baargaal in Bari (IFRC, 20 December 2019).
- It damaged camps for displaced people, roads, schools, telecom towers and power lines (IFRC, 20 December 2019).
- FAO said "exceptionally high rainfall and cyclone Pawan" made the desert locust outbreak worse (UN Somalia / FAO, 18 December 2019).
November 2020: Cyclone Gati
Gati made landfall at about 22:00 on 22 November 2020 at Ras Hafun, Bari. The IFRC called it "the strongest ever storm to hit Somalia", with sustained winds of 170 km/h. It "brought more than a year's worth of rain to the region in two days" (ReliefWeb, TC-2020-000232-SOM; IFRC, 3 December 2020).
- Villages hit. Thirteen villages in Iskushuban district were hardest hit, including Xaafuun, Dul Xaafuun, Hurdiya, Foocaar and Baarmadowe. About 15,000 people in Xaafuun and Hurdiya moved to higher ground (OCHA, 23 November 2020).
- People affected. OCHA put the number affected in Bari at about 180,000, including 38,000 in Bosaso. The IFRC gave 42,000 displaced across Puntland and Somaliland (OCHA, 30 November 2020; IFRC, 3 December 2020).
- Deaths. At least eight to nine people were killed. About 30 fishermen at sea before the alert were missing on 23 November (OCHA, 23 and 30 November 2020).
- Damage. More than 700 houses destroyed, boats and fishing gear damaged, many livestock lost (FAO, 24 November 2020).
- Aid. By 8 December over 78,000 of 101,000 targeted people had received help (OCHA, 9 December 2020).
Hafun was also the town worst hit by the 2004 tsunami.
Cyclones that passed close by
These storms hit Yemen, Socotra or Oman rather than mainland Somalia. ReliefWeb lists them among Somalia-related disasters.
- Chapala, landfall in Yemen on 3 November 2015 (ReliefWeb, TC-2015-000149-YEM).
- Megh, over Socotra on 8 November 2015 (ReliefWeb, TC-2015-000152-YEM).
- Mekunu, landfall in Oman on 26 May 2018 after crossing Socotra (ReliefWeb, TC-2018-000062-YEM).
- Luban, landfall in Yemen on 14 October 2018 (ReliefWeb, TC-2018-000163-YEM).
Sources
- ReliefWeb. Somalia: Tropical Cyclone – Nov 2013 (IFRC, 11 December 2013).
- ReliefWeb. Tropical Cyclone Sagar – May 2018 (OCHA, 19 and 20 May 2018).
- ReliefWeb. Tropical Cyclone Pawan – Dec 2019 (FAO, IFRC, ECHO, December 2019).
- ReliefWeb. Tropical Cyclone Gati – Nov 2020 (OCHA, FAO, IFRC, November and December 2020).
- ReliefWeb. Records for Chapala, Megh, Mekunu and Luban, linked above.
Sources
- ReliefWeb, TC-2013-000140-SOM · reliefweb.int
- ReliefWeb, TC-2018-000059-SOM · reliefweb.int
- ReliefWeb, TC-2019-000165-SOM · reliefweb.int
- ReliefWeb, TC-2020-000232-SOM · reliefweb.int
- UN Somalia / FAO, 18 December 2019 · somalia.un.org
- ReliefWeb, TC-2015-000149-YEM · reliefweb.int
- ReliefWeb, TC-2015-000152-YEM · reliefweb.int
- ReliefWeb, TC-2018-000062-YEM · reliefweb.int
- ReliefWeb, TC-2018-000163-YEM · reliefweb.int
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Where this matters
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- Famines and droughts in Somalia: a timeline and the Somali names for themA timeline of droughts and famines in Somalia from 1913 to 2023, with the Somali names given to each, deaths where estimated, and links to the full pages.
- Rain, drought and floods in Somalia: the Gu and Deyr seasons and the great droughtsSomalia's rainy seasons (Gu and Deyr), the great droughts from 1974 to today, the death tolls, the 2023 floods, and what changed after the 2011 famine.
- The Somalia famine of 2010 to 2012: what happened and how many diedThe 2010 to 2012 famine in southern Somalia: the drought, the famine declarations region by region, the blocked aid, the death toll by region, the refugees and how it ended.
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- The Somalia drought of 2016 to 2018: famine warned, famine avertedThe 2016 to 2018 drought in Somalia: the poor rains, the national disaster, cholera and displacement, the cash response, the death toll and why famine was not declared.