Flood strengthens Libya's national fabric, volunteers say
4 Min Read
In a nation scarred by years of turmoil and characterized by a division between two competing governments, the catastrophe, resulting in the loss of thousands of lives, has sparked a collective sense of solidarity across the country.
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A general view of the city of Derna is seen on Tuesday, Sept. 12., 2023 (AP)
In Libya's capital, approximately twelve women diligently operated sewing machines, producing clothing for the living and burial shrouds for the deceased. This urgent effort comes in the wake of a devastating flood that struck the eastern city of Derna two weeks ago.
In a country marred by years of conflict and divided between two rival governments, the tragedy, which claimed the lives of thousands, has ignited a nationwide spirit of unity.
Mohamed Kamour, the director of a center that trains women as dressmakers, remarked, "Our center was already helping needy families, so you can imagine our mobilization when it involves a disaster of this magnitude." Since the flood on September 10, the apprentices have been working tirelessly to cut and sew fabric for those in need in Derna, a city over 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) to the east.
Read next: Climate change, conflict made floods in Libya more likely: Study
Normal training courses have been suspended to prioritize aid efforts, according to Kamour. Typically, the workshop assists widows and divorced women in achieving financial independence. "We interrupted all types of training," he noted.
The workshop has already dispatched 1,300 school uniforms, 850 abayas (traditional full-length robes), and 650 burial shrouds to Derna, with a second shipment in the works.
Derna, which had a population of about 100,000 before the flash flood, suffered when two aging dams gave way after a powerful storm hit the region, leading to the devastating loss of thousands of lives.
The official death toll surpassed 3,800 as of Saturday, while international aid organizations believe that the flood may have left 10,000 or more people missing. Many were swept out to sea, with bodies still washing ashore, while others are believed to be buried under the mud and debris that blankets entire neighborhoods in Derna.
Libya united
Despite Libya's political divisions, Kamour stated that he had received requests for assistance from stricken residents through charities based in the eastern part of the country, prompting an increased production response.
The women work diligently at a crowded table, sorting and folding the day's output, which includes gray and green abayas, white medical smocks, and shrouds for the deceased.
Karima Wanis, the center's trainer, expressed the feeling of having lost members of her own family. Amidst the hum of sewing machines, she emphasized that coming to the aid of their brethren in Derna is a natural response.
"We are part of the same family," Wanis stated, transcending geographical divides. "West or East, ultimately, it's Libya that unites us."
Read next: Nearly two weeks later, Libya toll tops 3,800
Two days earlier, Libyans had come together to provide breastmilk and care for infants who had been orphaned after deadly floods hit to coastal city of Derna on September 10.
Over 43,000 people have been forced to flee their homes and hundreds of traumatized newborns and young children are said to have lost their parents in Derna.
Nawal Alghazal, a 62-year-old resident of Benghazi, had launched a campaign to help infants in need. Alghazal, who took 70 children in since the floods, expressed it was the very least that could be done. Other women also expressed they would take children in and care for them as their own.
These kinds of initiatives are regarded highly as children who lose their parents or are separated from their families are more vulnerable to dangers such as violence and exploitation, according to UNICEF.
However, Libyan journalist Noura Eljerbi warned that children should not be relocated before paperwork was completed to classify them as orphans.
