In Dire Dawa city's ‘Ashewa meda’, near Kefira, the popular marketplace; a 27-year-old lady named Maimuna Yuye makes a living by selling tomatoes and potatoes. She alleges that the recent rains washed away three composting potatoes she had planned to sell for a week.
"The flood has swept me away. I am afraid that if the rain continues like this, it will cause a large flood and result in another disaster like the last one," Mr. Ziad Shelala, a resident who works in a stall shop selling used items, expressed his concern to Addis Zeybe.
Following the forecasted rainfall, the Mayor of Dire Dawa City Administration urges residents to be cautious and work together to mitigate, as there could be catastrophic harm to people and property.
Meteorological findings gathered over the past three years shows that rainfall has increased significantly, causing substantial damage to people and property in Dire Dawa.
Mr. Gedamu Getnet, a Senior Expert in Flood Forecasting and Early Warning at the Meteorological Service Centre in Somaliland and Neighboring Regions, told Addis Zeybe over the phone that Autumn rains were expected to begin in the middle of February in Dire Dawa, Somali Region and in the Eastern Hararghe areas of Oromia Region. But for the past three years, Autumn rains have been delayed until the beginning of April.
“This year's fall season has begun to rain, at a higher rate than typical. The amount of rain pouring in Dire Dawa might increase in the following days, potentially causing a flood”, the expert said.
According to the expert, since one month ago, significant rains in Dire Dawa and its surrounding area have resulted in floods that are slightly higher than the rains that come before the fall season every year, causing accidents to people and property.
On March 17, 2015, a 55-year-old man was swept away by the flood and died in an area known as ‘Afatsisa Ashewa Selbaj Tera’ in Dire Dawa, and an unquantifiable property in the market was also destroyed.
According to Addis Zeybe's sources in Dire Dawa, in addition to the death of one person who was swept away by flooding caused by the continuous rains that have been falling for consecutive days, the rain has caused damage to residents' property and infrastructure in several areas of the city and rural areas.
While flood protection dams were built 10 to 15 years ago to protect people and property in their villages, residents are worried that dams have collapsed to some extent and may cause an unexpected disaster if a horrible flood comes.
As a result, the residents, who claim that their lives may be endangered if their current vulnerability is not addressed, have requested an immediate and proper repair for the dam affected by the flood.
After assessing the recent damages, Dire Dawa City Administration Mayor Kedir Juhar stated that a team has been constituted to assist and propose tentative and long-term solutions.
Following the anticipated rainfall, the Mayor of Dire Dawa Municipal Administration urged residents to "be cautious and strive to mitigate, as there could be catastrophic harm to people and property".
On July 28, 1998, more than 600 people were swept away by the flood, and thousands of residents had to flee from their homes.
Repurposed by Seid Mehammed
