# The 2023 Deyr floods in Somalia: 2.48 million affected, 188 dead

> The October to December 2023 floods in Somalia: why they happened, the dead and displaced, Beledweyne, Dolow and Baardheere, and the damage and recovery costs district by district.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/society/floods-2023-deyr/
Last checked: 2026-11-13
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## In short

From October to December 2023 the [Deyr](/en/economy/pastoralism-in-somalia/) rains were far above average across most of Somalia. The government's assessment links this to "the confluence of strong El Niño and positive Indian Ocean Dipole weather patterns". River floods and flash floods hit about half of the country's districts ([SoDMA, *Somalia 2023 Deyr Floods: Rapid Post-Disaster Needs Assessment*, 2024, p. 1](https://sodma.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SoDMA-Deyr-Floods-2023.pdf)).

| Measure | Number |
|---|---|
| People affected | about 2.48 million |
| People displaced from their homes | over 1.2 million |
| Deaths | 188 |
| Damage in the 16 assessed districts | US$126.6 million |
| Losses in the 16 assessed districts | US$49.5 million |
| Recovery needs | US$230.6 million |

Source: [SoDMA](/en/institutions/disaster-management-agency/) R-PDNA 2024, pp. 1–3. The assessment calls it the "worst flood ever in Somalia's recent history" (p. 1). It was led by the government with the UN, UNDP, the World Bank and the European Union.

## Why it happened

The rains came after [the 2020 to 2023 drought](/en/society/drought-2020-2023/), with five poor rainy seasons in a row. Before the floods, the UN-backed Somalia Water and Land Information Management project ([SWALIM](/en/institutions/fao-somalia/)) warned of "a flood event of a magnitude statistically likely only once in 100 years". FAO said 1.6 million people could be affected ([AP via PBS NewsHour, 23 November 2023](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/extreme-flooding-has-somalia-in-a-state-of-emergency-destroying-homes-and-forcing-thousands-to-flee)). The seasons are explained on [rain, drought and floods in Somalia](/en/society/rain-drought-and-floods/).

## Beledweyne

[Beledweyne](/en/regions/hiiraan/), in Hiiraan, was the hardest-hit town. The [Shabelle](/en/economy/farming-and-harvests/) burst its banks and destroyed many homes. Save the Children estimated that 250,000 people, **90% of the town**, were forced out of their homes (AP, 23 November 2023). In the government's assessment Beledweyne had the largest damage of any district (table below).

The federal government declared a state of emergency (AP, 23 November 2023).

## Damage district by district

The assessment covered 16 districts with about 1.7 million people, of whom 521,519 (about 31%) were directly hit ([SoDMA R-PDNA, pp. 1, 3](https://sodma.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SoDMA-Deyr-Floods-2023.pdf)). Figures are in US dollars, rounded to the nearest $0.1 million.

| District | Damage | Losses | Total effects | Recovery needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beledweyne | 27.2m | 10.5m | 37.7m | 47.1m |
| Dolow | 22.8m | 2.6m | 25.3m | 28.5m |
| Baidoa | 11.7m | 10.5m | 22.2m | 21.3m |
| Baardheere | 16.8m | 2.6m | 19.4m | 23.1m |
| Kismayo | 13.6m | 4.1m | 17.6m | 19.1m |
| Jowhar | 8.4m | 5.2m | 13.7m | 20.8m |
| Bu'aale | 6.0m | 4.6m | 10.6m | 10.2m |
| Buuloburde | 6.9m | 2.3m | 9.2m | 15.3m |
| Afmadow | 5.2m | 3.9m | 9.1m | 14.3m |
| Bardaale | 3.6m | 0.8m | 4.4m | 5.7m |
| South Galkacyo | 1.4m | 1.4m | 2.8m | 7.3m |
| Dhoobley | 1.8m | 0.2m | 2.0m | 2.1m |
| Hodan (Mogadishu) | 1.2m | 0.2m | 1.5m | 1.6m |
| Kah Shiikhaal | 0.03m | 0.3m | 0.3m | 0.2m |
| Boondheere (Mogadishu) | 0 | 0.07m | 0.07m | 0.1m |
| Wadajir (Mogadishu) | 0 | 0.07m | 0.07m | 0.1m |
| National level | | | | 13.7m |
| **Total** | **126.6m** | **49.5m** | **176.1m** | **230.6m** |

## Damage by sector

- **Farming and livestock:** US$57 million in damage and losses, 32% of the total. It also has the largest recovery needs, US$60 million (SoDMA R-PDNA, p. 2).
- **Water and sanitation:** US$32.7 million, 19% (p. 2).
- **Transport:** US$29.7 million, 17%. Recovery needs US$37.4 million (p. 2).
- **Housing:** recovery needs US$27.1 million, 12% of the total (p. 2).

Recovery needs are split into short term (US$93.1 million), medium term (US$69.2 million) and long term (US$68.3 million) (p. 2).

## Limits of the figures

The assessment says it was "constrained by the lack of baseline data, scanty damage and loss data across sectors", and that damage and loss estimates "may be subject to underestimation". Areas that could not be visited were estimated from other data (SoDMA R-PDNA, pp. i, 6).

## Sources

- Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) with UN, UNDP, World Bank and EU (2024). [Somalia 2023 Deyr Floods: Rapid Post-Disaster Needs Assessment](https://sodma.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SoDMA-Deyr-Floods-2023.pdf).
- AP via PBS NewsHour (2023). [Extreme flooding has Somalia in a state of emergency, destroying homes and forcing thousands to flee](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/extreme-flooding-has-somalia-in-a-state-of-emergency-destroying-homes-and-forcing-thousands-to-flee), 23 November 2023.

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