Barran Press
The Governor of Hodeidah, Hassan Taher, stated on Friday, August 9, 2024, that President of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, and Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, have tasked several ministers with monitoring the humanitarian situation arising from the recent flood disaster in the governorate.
In a statement carried by the newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat," Taher said the government is working to assess the damage caused by the floods and provide support and relief to the affected population, despite facing difficulties in obtaining sufficient information from areas under Houthi control.
The governor explained that the areas under Houthi control are "the most severely affected by the flood disaster, given that the group controls a larger geographical area than the government, and their practices, such as digging trenches and setting up barriers in preparation for military operations, have contributed to exacerbating the scale of the flood disaster."
He pointed out that international organizations are capable of efficiently providing aid and relief in areas under the control of the Houthi group, which is internationally classified as a terrorist organization.
The Yemeni official accused the Iranian-backed Houthi group of "benefiting from relief aid more than the affected population, who are victims of disasters or their practices that cause poverty and hunger," predicting that they will exploit the new disaster to loot aid intended for the affected areas.
He expressed hope that "the entities responsible for relief operations will ensure that aid reaches its rightful recipients to meet their full needs, without any looting or diversion to unintended beneficiaries."
The governor called for the provision of essential services to the population, such as electricity, water, roads, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and other sustainable development projects that can improve the dire living conditions, instead of temporary emergency relief efforts that have limited lasting effects.
He emphasized that the population "does not need the organizations' tents and aid as much as they need these services," urging international countries and organizations to provide them. He also appealed to the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen to address the suffering of Hodeidah residents due to the lack of services and infrastructure in their urban and rural areas.
Last Wednesday, the Tihama plain (western Yemen), encompassing Hodeidah governorate and parts of other governorates, experienced heavy rains and floods, causing significant casualties and property damage. There is a significant shortage in relief efforts and assistance to the affected population, alongside a lack of adequate data to estimate the scale of the disaster.
The legitimate Yemeni government has issued appeals for aid to the residents of the coastal Tihama region (western Yemen), which suffered heavy casualties and property damage due to the floods that occurred last Wednesday following more than 10 hours of heavy rains.
Public and official circles accuse the Houthi group of controlling the region's resources and assets, such as ports, agriculture, and land, without providing any assistance to the affected population.
Estimates indicate that at least 45 people have died, over 100 others are missing, and over 500 homes have been destroyed. Thousands of families have been displaced due to damage to their homes or fear of further rainfall.
Earlier today, Friday, the United Nations announced that it had requested urgent support from donors to provide relief to those affected by the floods in the Yemeni governorates of "Taiz, Hodeidah, and Hajjah."
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Yemen, "over the past few days, heavy rains and floods have caused dozens of casualties and inflicted severe damage to homes, property, and infrastructure in Yemen."
The office added in a post on its (X) platform that "relief organizations are providing aid to the affected population amidst an urgent need for support."