The United Nations estimates that some 35,000 families in 85 municipalities have been affected by the ferocious weather
The brutality of the weather, made much worse by climate change, has dealt a heavy blow to Yemen, where at least 77 people have died from torrential rains. In total, according to United Nations estimates, around 35,000 families have been affected by the ferocious weather between July 27 and August 10; one more crisis in a country devastated by war and famine – the greatest humanitarian catastrophe.
So far the heavy rains have affected 85 municipalities across the country, according to data handled by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the territory (OCHA Yemen). Many families have been displaced by the storm and are receiving tents, mattresses and bedding, as well as food and other essentials, as help after their homes were damaged.
But the problem is not over. According to forecasts, the UN fears that the strong storm will continue at least until next week. Specifically, it is expected that until next Saturday. OCHA Yemen anticipates that in the following days torrential rains will affect 20,000 more people in the country, while the authorities fear more fatalities as a result.
Another 30 in Guatemala
The same situation is also occurring in Guatemala, where about thirty people have lost their lives due to the storm. The National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction has detailed in a general report that there are twenty-eight people dead, fourteen injured and four missing. More than 30,000 citizens have been treated by the emergency services, while some 10,000 inhabitants have been evacuated. In total, more than two million have been affected.
Most of the victims have been registered in the northern towns of Alta Verapaz and Huehuetenango, and in the southern Escuintla and Zacapa. The most damaged areas are indigenous villages. According to the balance of the authorities, seventeen bridges and five highways, as well as hundreds of buildings, have been destroyed by the overflow of the Polochic River.
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