Introduction
It seems that nature does not calm down in the Arab countries. After the earthquake in Morocco, another catastrophe occurred in Libya. Hurricane Daniel or Hurricane Medicane, one of the famous Mediterranean hurricanes, hits Libya and causes floods that submerge entire cities. Thousands of deaths and injuries due to the waters that flooded the northern cities of Libya. In this article, we will learn about the beginning of the disaster story and why was the city of Derna more affected than others by this hurricane? What is the number of victims of Storm Daniel in Libya?
The Beginning of the Story
On the fifth of September of the current year, Storm Daniel formed over the Mediterranean Sea. Then it approached the European coast, sweeping Greece. Hurricane Daniel formed, the strongest and the first of its kind since 1930. In Greece, it caused severe damage and also caused the death of approximately 15 people. The storm returned to the Mediterranean Sea again, and its strength increased after deriving its high energy from the warm waters in the sea. After a few days, the storm turned into a devastating hurricane called “Medicane Ianos” which is an abbreviation for Mediterranean hurricanes and is similar to the rare tropical ones.
On the tenth of September of the same year, the devastating Hurricane Daniel reached the coasts of African countries. Libya was the first country to receive the storm and it hit its eastern and northern cities, starting with the city of Benghazi and continuing its path eastward towards the city of Derna. This type of hurricane consists of clouds that surround an eye devoid of clouds. It has weaker winds and does not last long, but it is associated with large amounts of rain. The hurricane was accompanied by heavy rain exceeding 400 mm, and this amount had not been recorded for about forty years, according to the Libyan Meteorological Authority.
Why was the city of Derna damaged more than others by this hurricane?
Derna went from a beautiful, prosperous city overlooking the coast to a devastated city, and its neighborhoods and landmarks were leveled to the ground. Derna was the city most affected by the storm, although the storm struck the cities of Jabal Akhdar, Shahat, Sousse, Benghazi, and Al-Bayda, causing severe damage. This is due to the presence of a large dam known as the “Wadi Derna Dam” and another smaller dam followed it. Heavy rains fell along the Wadi Derna River, filling the dams. Due to a technical defect in the dams and the high pressure of the water, the dams did not withstand, so they collapsed and large quantities of water flowed loaded with mud, sweeping away everything that stood in its way and swallowing the city of Derna. According to Libyan sources, the dams have been in need of maintenance for a long time, but no one paid attention to it.
Moreover, what makes matters worse is that the terrain of these areas is mountainous and coastal. Behind the very narrow strip of low coastal land, there is a mountain plateau. What distinguishes the lands there is that they are very rocky and rugged, crossed by many rivers and covered with loose red soil. The rain fell heavily, and the water was not contained in the rivers and streams, thus the water flowed into the valley in the form of torrents and caused catastrophic damage.
What is the number of victims of Daniel Storm in Libya?
The number of Libyan victims resulting from Hurricane Daniel was estimated at more than 14,600 dead, in addition to more than 10,000 injured and missing people only from the city of Derna at the time of writing this article. Media reports added that there is a great fear of the spread of diseases due to the corpses of humans and animals scattered everywhere and submerged in water.
#earth_sciences #hurricane_daniel #daniel_storm #libya_storm #hurricane_libya #libya_floods #derna_floods
