200,0000 families displaced due to Somalia floods

Around 200,000 people have been displaced due to flash flooding in central Somalia, as the Shabelle River burst its banks and submerged roads. Inhabitants of Beledweyne town in Hiran region were forced out of their homes as heavy rainfall caused water levels to rise sharply, with residents carrying their belongings on top of their heads as they waded through flooded streets in search of refuge.

The disaster comes on the heels of a record drought that has left millions of Somalis on the brink of famine. Residents said that they were forced to abandon their homes in the middle of the night earlier this week as water gushed through the streets and into buildings.