Using boats to reach communities inundated with flood waters, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS) have distributed essential food and household items to more than 16,000 flood-affected people along the Shabelle River.

Sandbags are piled along the River Shabelle where the waters broke through. Sandbags were distributed by the ICRC before the onset of the Deyr rains to manage the river flow. © ICRC/Nur Hassan Gure

Seasonal Deyr rains caused a rise in the Shabelle river, resulting in widespread floods that washed out roads, isolating the riverine communities hardest hit by the rains.

The submerged roads were an additional and daunting challenge for the ICRC and SRCS.

The boat-delivered goods were distributed in six villages located in Jowhar and Balcad districts in Middle Shabelle region. Each household received 50kg of rice, 25kg of beans, 10 litres of cooking oil, 6.5 KG of BP5 (high energy biscuits), hygiene kits, kitchen utensils, tarpaulins, mosquito nets, mats, buckets and water purification tablets.

ICRC and SRCS teams are monitoring areas of Juba and Shabelle, which continue to receive intermittent rainfall even as the rainy season is due to come to an end.

ICRC and Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS) teams arrive by boat at a village in Middle Shabelle to carry out a food distribution. Access was a challenge for the teams because area roads were submerged. © ICRC/Nur Hassan Gure