How to avoid a "second devastating crisis" in Libya? UN agencies fear the spread of diseases in the flood-stricken Libyan city of Derna. The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement on Monday that teams from nine UN agencies were present on the ground. This relief provides Derna and other cities in eastern Libya with aid and support to "people affected by Storm Daniel".
Bad weather devastated the region on 10 September, killing more than 3,800 people while thousands more are still missing. "Local authorities, aid agencies and the WHO (World Health Organization) team are all concerned about the risk of spreading diseases, including contaminated water and poor hygiene," according to the UN.
Distributions of relief kits and emergency medical kits
"The (WHO) team continues to work to prevent the spread of diseases and avoid a second devastating crisis in the region," the statement added. In recent days, UNICEF teams, the UN Children's Fund, present in Derna and its surroundings, have provided "emergency medical kits" to primary care services, supporting 15,000 people for three months.
VIDEO. Devastating floods in Libya: the city of Derna continues to count its dead
For its part, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is distributing "basic relief kits, including blankets, plastic sheeting and kitchen equipment, to 6,200 displaced families in Derna and Benghazi", the large city in eastern Libya.
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In addition, food rations were distributed to more than 5,000 households by the World Food Programme (WFP) and 28 tons of medical supplies were shipped by WHO-chartered flight. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) supported "460 families with non-food items and another 4,000 families in Benghazi with medicine."