The death toll in Yemen from heavy rains has risen to 40, and five more people are missing, officials of the Houthi movement and humanitarian workers announced today, Reuters reports.
More than 500 homes had to be evacuated and many roads were blocked by flooding in Hodeidah province, much of which, including the port, is controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today that aid partners have begun deliveries "amid the need for urgent support" to thousands of families affected by the rains.
The Beta Agency announced that at least 30 people were killed in the floods in Yemen, while several hundred were displaced.
An official in the city of Hodeida, in the south of Yemen, where flash floods occurred after heavy rains, told Misrah television, which is controlled by the rebel Houthis, that more than 500 houses were destroyed and that five people were missing.
The UN humanitarian office in Yemen said on Wednesday afternoon that 15 people were killed, agricultural land destroyed and houses and infrastructure damaged in Friday's floods in the Makbna district of Taiz city.
Both the southwestern city of Taiz and northwestern Hajjah were hit hard by this Sunday's floods, which occur during Yemen's seasonal rainfall.
The rainy season in Yemen begins at the end of March, and the rains are particularly heavy in the period from July to mid-August.
Some residents are reportedly still stuck in their homes in Al-Mansooriya district as of Tuesday evening as roads are blocked.
Local authorities have not reached areas severely affected by the floods for two days, leaving some residents trapped in their homes, witnesses who spoke to The Associated Press said.
Some residents remained stranded in Tihama, a region that is part of Hodeidah. Others managed to leave and headed to the city of Hodeidah itself.
Many houses in Tihama, where malnutrition has been reported, are made of bricks and materials that even the rain can destroy.
The United Nations Population Fund-Yemen announced this Sunday on IX that the floods have affected more than 28.000 people living in four districts in the city of Hajja.
Rapid response teams, led by the agency, have recorded around 4.112 families in need of emergency assistance.
Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sana'a and much of northern Yemen and drove the internationally recognized government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year to try to restore the government to power. The Houthis are supported by Iran.
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