Libya floods: EU mobilises emergency assistance via its Civil Protection Mechanism

Following yesterday's request for international assistance by the Permanent Mission of the State of Libya to the United Nations office in Geneva, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated to support Libya in the aftermath of the major flood that has left thousands of casualties.

Immediately, EU Member States – so far Germany, Romania, Finland - have offered substantial assistance in the form of shelter items such as tents, field beds and blankets, 80 generators, food items, as well as hospital tents and water tanks via the Mechanism.

The EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre stands ready to coordinate further offers of assistance.

Furthermore, the EU has released an initial €500,000 in humanitarian funding to tackle the most urgent needs of people in Libya affected by the impact of Storm Daniel.

Funding will be channelled through partners operating on the ground to deliver lifesaving health and water and sanitation supplies for the flood response in eastern Libya.

“The rapid onset of floods in Libya already claimed thousands of lives. In this challenging time, prompt and organised response is crucial. To help support emergency operations on the ground, the EU is coordinating incoming offers of aid to be channelled through its Civil Protection Mechanism. I thank EU Member States who already offered shelter items, generators, food items and other vital support. The EU has also released €500,000 in humanitarian aid. The EU remains ready to scale up the response for the most affected people in Libya going through this difficult time,” said Janez Lenarčič, Commissioner for Crisis Management.

Background

Over the past weekend, heavy storm and rain hit eastern Libya resulting in massive floods and extensive damage.

The extreme weather conditions caused the collapse of two dams in Derna, in the northeast region of the country, where flood water swept away entire neighbourhoods, destroyed bridges and damaged roads and other vital infrastructure.

According to preliminary estimations, floods killed over 5,000 people while several thousands are still missing or internally displaced.

The EU has been providing assistance to people in need in Libya without distinction since 2011, with total humanitarian funding of over €89 million.

Libya is also the recipient of development and early-recovery assistance through other EU funding sources. In a nexus approach, the EU's humanitarian aid and development departments work together to ensure a link between short-term emergency assistance and longer-term development aid, notably in the health sector.