The internationally recognized Yemeni government on Thursday, August 8, 2024, accused the Iran-backed Houthi group, designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, of causing the damage inflicted by the recent low-pressure system in the Tihama region (western Yemen).

The accusation was made by the Yemeni Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Muammar al-Eryani, in a statement released by the official Yemeni news agency Saba.

Al-Eryani stated that "the scenes of death and destruction coming from the affected areas of the Tihama plain and coast, due to the flood of rainwater, reveal a part of the tragedy caused by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist militias."

He explained that the floods resulted in "the death of 45 civilians, the destruction of hundreds of homes, the displacement of tens of thousands of families, the washing away of cars, damage to farms, the death of livestock, and massive destruction of property and infrastructure."

Al-Eryani added that this disaster is a result of a decade of systematic destruction of infrastructure and essential services, the absence of state institutions, and the diversion of state resources, particularly in Hodeidah Governorate, towards funding what is known as the "war effort" instead of improving infrastructure and supporting the local authority's capacity to deal with such natural disasters.

He accused the Houthis of "closing flood drainage channels, destroying ferries, digging trenches and tunnels, creating water channels to cut off Tihama, and using them for military purposes." He said this "led to the diversion of the floodwaters from their natural courses towards the sea, and their surge towards villages and population centers."

He also accused the group of "restricting access for international and local humanitarian organizations and agencies, and pressuring them to direct their activities to serve their goals." He said this "led to the closure of a number of them and the freezing of their activities in areas under the control of the militia."

He said that "despite warnings of this disaster, the Houthi militia did not take any measures to contain the repercussions, rescue citizens, and provide relief to the affected, leaving the people of Tihama to face their fate without any rescue or emergency teams or the presence of humanitarian and relief organizations."

He explained that "this disaster once again confirms that the Houthi militia is a criminal gang whose mission is to kill, loot, and destroy, and that it is not a state and cannot be a state, and that it does not care about the lives of Yemenis or their suffering, and that it is merely a functional militia working for the benefit of Iran and implementing its destructive expansionist policies in the region."

The minister called for "combined efforts at the official, popular, and private sector levels to support Tihama in this ordeal," appealing to "international, regional, and local relief organizations to urgently head to Tihama to provide relief to those affected by the floods who are now in the open, provide them with assistance, and dispatch food and shelter convoys as soon as possible."

Al-Eryani pointed out that "this tragedy, which portends an impending humanitarian catastrophe, underscores the urgent need for the return of state institutions to every inch of Yemeni soil, and to put an end to the tragedy of the Yemeni people, which is escalating due to the ongoing coup and the Houthi militia's tampering with the country's resources and its subordination to Iran."

On Tuesday evening, August 6, 2024, Hodeidah Governorate (western Yemen) witnessed torrential rains that resulted in the flooding of entire neighborhoods in several areas of the governorate.

Sources told "Barran Press" that "the situation is catastrophic in the Tihama plain in Hodeidah Governorate due to destructive floods that swept through neighborhoods, villages, and farms, amid continuous rains since the afternoon, which have resulted in significant human and material losses."

They explained that there are dozens of missing people, including children, women, and the elderly, who were swept away by the floods on Tuesday night from the "Al-Ruqood" area in "Zabid" district, the "Al-Zein" village in "Al-Qanaous" district, and the "Al-Lawiyah" village in "Ad-Durihemi" district in Hodeidah Governorate.

The sources confirmed that dozens of houses were destroyed by the floods, including a house that collapsed on a family, killing the father and mother and two women drowning in the "Al-Sahl" village in Ad-Durihemi.

They said that there is no movement from the de facto authorities affiliated with the Houthi group, designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, which controls the governorate, to help the people of Tihama after the heavy damage they have suffered as a result of the heavy rains that caused floods that the governorate has not witnessed for decades.

Over the past two days, the northwestern parts of Hajjah Governorate have witnessed a low-pressure system followed by torrential floods that have caused significant damage to residents, including dozens of displaced families.

Simultaneously, the "Maqbanah" district in Taiz Governorate witnessed unprecedented floods that led to the destruction of homes, the washing away of farms, the burial of water wells, and other multiple losses, amid government directives to inspect the area and assess human and material damages.

The affected residents are complaining about the absence of intervention by local authorities, and international and regional organizations and agencies, to alleviate their suffering, which is already exacerbated by the devastating war that has been ongoing in the country for nine years.