Qatar Charity has initiated the “Aid Libya” campaign, expressing solidarity with the Libyan people. As well as providing urgent assistance to those affected by the recent storm, by providing shelter, food, water, and essential supplies for the devastated families. This response comes in the wake of the large-scale disaster that hit eastern Libya, especially the city of Derna, due to hurricanes and floods, affirming Qatar Charity’s commitment to its humanitarian and fraternal duties.
The campaign’s primary goals are to provide tents for displaced individuals, medical supplies for the injured, and necessary food items. Additionally, immediate needs such as blankets and heating equipment for families are being prioritized.
Speaking on the initiative, Engineer Khaled Al-Yafei, Director of Emergency and Relief Management at Qatar Charity, said, “Qatar Charity is gearing up to provide essential support to our brothers in the disaster-stricken areas in Libya caused by the floods. The magnitude of the disaster and the scale of destruction in the region are immense.”
“We urge the benevolent people of Qatar to support their brothers in Libya, who are going through challenging times, having lost their homes and families. Through the ‘Aid Libya’ campaign, we aim to cater to the basic needs of the affected families, upholding the fraternal duty of the people of Qatar towards those in distress,” Al-Yafei added. He further prayed for the alleviation of the Libyan people’s suffering, and for the safety of the people of Qatar.
The official Libyan news agency reported that the catastrophe resulted in thousands of deaths and missing individuals. Approximately 1,500 buildings in the city of Derna were affected, with 891 of them completely destroyed.
Notably, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimated that nearly 30,000 children were affected by the storm.
It added in a report that “a growing number of children and families are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, following significant damage to numerous homes, hospitals, schools, and other essential infrastructure.”
UNICEF said that storm Daniel unleashed havoc across eastern Libya last week, bursting dams and destroying buildings in many towns, particularly in Al-Bayda, Al-Marj and the coastal city of Derna.
Derna, a town of about 90,000 people, was already severely affected by conflict, and its path to recovery is now set back years given the immense devastation.