Benghazi_ City officials of Benghazi have warned residents to be very caution during the coming few days because of possible heavy rains, particularly those who live near valley paths must “evacuate immediately”.
Fearing the Derna syndrome, Benghazi Municipality said in a statement that evacuation may last for a week and therefor citizens should be responsible and obey government instructions for their own safety.
The Prime Minister of eastern Libya, Oama Hamad, issued urgent instructions to relevant authorities to take all necessary measures in preparation for the expected bad weather conditions.
The National Center for Meteorology expected moderate to heavy rains to fall on some areas of the northeast of Libya, noting that the wave of rain will reach the areas of Benghazi Plain, Al-Marj, Ajdabiya, and the areas of the Green Mountain to the city of Derna, accompanied by thunderstorms.
The immediate evacuation includes the paths of Wadi Al-Qattara from the mouth of the valley (Qaryounis) to Wadi Qattara, as well as residents near Wadi Al-Fayd, the Benghazi municipality said.
Citizens should avoid low-lying areas and areas adjacent to valleys, in anticipation of heavy rains that may lead to rising water levels and floods.
Since Storm Daniel catastrophe that happened in Derna more than a year ago, Libyans have become rather fearful that such natural disasters could be repeated any time without warning in advance.
In the middle of the night on 10 September 2023, the torrential rains resulted from Storm Daniel caused the destruction of two dams near the city and swept the third of the city’s building to the sea. Over 10,000 people died, 6,000 injured and some estimates put the missing to 10,000 people.