# Disasters in Somalia: a list from 1974 to 2026

> A list of every recorded disaster in Somalia from the 1974 drought to the 2026 dengue outbreak, year by year, with deaths and people affected and a link to the full page or UN record.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/society/disasters-in-somalia-list/
Last checked: 2026-11-13
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## How this list works

Entries from 1997 onward follow the disaster records that ReliefWeb, the UN's humanitarian information service, keeps for Somalia. Each record has a GLIDE number and collects dated reports from OCHA, WHO, FAO, the Red Cross and others ([ReliefWeb, Somalia disasters](https://reliefweb.int/country/som#disasters)). Earlier entries come from the pages linked. Figures are the ones given on each linked page or record.

## Droughts and famines

| Years | Event | Deaths | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973–1975 | Dabadheer drought | about 18,000 | [Dabadheer](/en/society/drought-1973-1975-dabadheer/) |
| 1991–1993 | Famine in the south | about 212,000 to 248,000 | [1991–93 famine](/en/society/famine-1991-1993/) |
| 2010–2012 | Famine, declared 20 July 2011, ended 3 February 2012 | about 258,000 | [2010–12 famine](/en/society/famine-2010-2012/) |
| 2016–2018 | Drought | about 45,000 excess deaths (estimate) | [2016–18 drought](/en/society/drought-2016-2018/) |
| 2020–2023 | Drought, five poor rainy seasons in a row | 71,100 excess deaths, Jan 2022 to Jun 2024 (estimate) | [2020–23 drought](/en/society/drought-2020-2023/) |

ReliefWeb also lists a regional "Horn of Africa crisis" for 2011–2012, which "affected 13 million people" across Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and neighbours ([ReliefWeb, DR-2011-000029-KEN](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/dr-2011-000029-ken)), and a Somalia drought record running from 2015 ([ReliefWeb, DR-2015-000134-SOM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/dr-2015-000134-som)).

## Floods and storms

| Date | Event | Page or record |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 1997 | Deyr floods | [FL-1997-000265-SOM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/fl-1997-000265-som) |
| May 2003 | Horn of Africa floods | [FL-2003-000204-KEN](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/fl-2003-000204-ken) |
| Apr 2005 | Heavy rains and floods | [ST-2005-000066-SOM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/st-2005-000066-som) |
| Nov 2006 | Horn of Africa floods | [FL-2006-000169-SOM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/fl-2006-000169-som) |
| Jun and Oct 2008 | Floods | [FL-2008-000091-SOM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/fl-2008-000091-som), [FL-2008-000185-SOM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/fl-2008-000185-som) |
| Oct 2009 | Flash floods | [FF-2009-000229-SOM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/ff-2009-000229-som) |
| 2007–2024 | Every flood from 2007 to 2024 | [Floods in Somalia, 2007 to 2024](/en/society/floods-in-somalia-2007-2024/) |
| Nov 2013 | Puntland cyclone, 162 dead | [Cyclones, 2013 to 2020](/en/society/cyclones-in-somalia-2013-2020/) |
| May 2018 | Cyclone Sagar | [Cyclones, 2013 to 2020](/en/society/cyclones-in-somalia-2013-2020/) |
| Dec 2019 | Cyclone Pawan | [Cyclones, 2013 to 2020](/en/society/cyclones-in-somalia-2013-2020/) |
| Nov 2020 | Cyclone Gati | [Cyclones, 2013 to 2020](/en/society/cyclones-in-somalia-2013-2020/) |
| May 2022 | Rain and windstorm, Gaalkacyo | below |
| Oct–Dec 2023 | Deyr floods, 2.48 million affected, 188 dead | [2023 Deyr floods](/en/society/floods-2023-deyr/) |

**[Gaalkacyo](/en/regions/mudug/), May 2022.** Heavy rain and windstorms hit North Gaalkacyo on 10 May 2022. About 4,416 displaced people (736 households) in 18 of the 20 camps around the city were affected. The 18 camps held about 40,254 displaced people ([ReliefWeb, VW-2022-000214-SOM](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/vw-2022-000214-som); IFRC, 21 May 2022).

## Tsunami and locusts

| Date | Event | Deaths | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Dec 2004 | Indian Ocean tsunami, Puntland coast | about 300 | [2004 tsunami](/en/society/tsunami-2004-somalia/) |
| 2019–2021 | Desert locust upsurge; national emergency 2 Feb 2020 | | [Desert locusts](/en/society/desert-locusts-2019-2021/) |

## Disease outbreaks

| Years | Disease | Cases and deaths | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–86, 1994, 2007, 2011, 2017 | Cholera | 78,701 cases and 1,163 deaths in 2017 | [Cholera](/en/society/cholera-in-somalia/) |
| 2005, 2013–14, 2017–21 | Polio | 195 cases in 2013 | [Polio](/en/society/polio-in-somalia/) |
| 2014–2022 | Measles | 23,039 cases in 2017 | [Measles](/en/society/measles-in-somalia/) |
| 1997–98, 2006–07 | Rift Valley fever | 114 cases, 51 deaths in 2006–07 | [Other outbreaks](/en/society/other-disease-outbreaks-in-somalia/) |
| 2009 | H1N1 influenza pandemic | | [ReliefWeb, EP-2009-000084-MEX](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/ep-2009-000084-mex) |
| 2020–2023 | COVID-19 | 27,334 cases, 1,361 deaths reported | [COVID-19](/en/society/covid-19-in-somalia/) |
| 2023–2025 | Diphtheria | 3,129 cases, 132 deaths in 2025 (to week 46) | [Diphtheria](/en/society/diphtheria-2023-2025/) |
| 2025 | Kala-azar, Sanaag | 5 cases, 2 deaths | [Other outbreaks](/en/society/other-disease-outbreaks-in-somalia/) |
| 2026 | Dengue, Somaliland | 1,442 cases in one week | [Other outbreaks](/en/society/other-disease-outbreaks-in-somalia/) |

## Fires, air crashes and boats

| Date | Event | Deaths | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 1981 | Somali Airlines Flight 40 | 50 | [Air crashes](/en/society/air-crashes-in-somalia/) |
| 1981–2026 | All major air crashes | | [Air crashes](/en/society/air-crashes-in-somalia/) |
| 2007–2024 | Gulf of Aden and Mediterranean boat sinkings | over 1,400 dead or missing in 2007 alone | [Boat disasters](/en/society/migrant-boat-disasters/) |
| 1–2 Apr 2022 | Waaheen market fire, Hargeisa | 0 | [Waaheen fire](/en/society/hargeisa-waaheen-market-fire-2022/) |

## Sources

- ReliefWeb (UN OCHA). [Somalia: disasters](https://reliefweb.int/country/som#disasters), and each record linked above.
- The pages linked in each table, which give their own sources for every figure.

---
I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.