Libya’s National Safety Authority (NSA) declared a state of maximum emergency across all its branches this Sunday. This is in response to warnings issued by the National Weather Center, concerning the anticipated flooding in the southern region of the country.
The Authority, through an official statement, indicated that the declaration of an emergency state is a “preparative measure to manage any contingencies that might arise from the predicted floods, especially in the Ghat municipality and its surroundings. The Weather Center forecasts that southwestern regions of Libya will be impacted by thunderstorm clouds in the coming days, accompanied by intermittent rain showers, which could be intense at times, particularly affecting Ghat and its neighbouring regions such as Jufra, Hun, Fuqaha, Haruj, Sabha, and others.”
Moreover, the Ambulance and Emergency Department has proclaimed a maximum state of emergency in all of its southern branches, aiming to support its divisions in municipalities like Ghat, Al-Barkat, Tahala, Al-Awaynat, Issen, and Fyut. This is to provide all “urgent and emergency services in the field of first aid and evacuation, should the situation require.”
Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, the Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU), issued instructions concerning the adoption of precautionary measures to avoid any potential human or material damages in Ghat, and southern Libya. Dbaiba directed communication with the Weather Forecast Service to “keep track of meteorological variations, and to liaise with the mayors and locals of the Ghat area and its surroundings, to establish an operations room to monitor any events that may result from rainfall and wadi flows.”
Dbaiba’s instructions also stipulated “coordinating with the Ministry of Interior to evacuate residents of areas close or adjacent to wadis (dry riverbeds that may flood during heavy rain) to prevent any deaths, alert livestock owners to move from wadi paths, and assign municipalities to clean the course of expected flowing wadis from any debris or obstacles that hinder the water flow.”
The Prime Minister also urged addressing the Libyan Holding Company for Post and Telecommunications, to initiate precautionary actions to prevent communication outages. Communication with the General Electricity Company is also sought to prepare and mobilize necessary resources to avoid power outages in the Ghat region, and nearby areas. Coordination with relevant ministries, authorities, and agencies to take any necessary actions is also emphasized.