Rivers Flashcards
When did the Libya flood occur?
Catastrophic flooding struck eastern Libya on the 10th and 11th of September on 2023.
What were the physical causes of the flood?
Storm Daniel, a strong mid-latitude cyclone that developed over the Ionian sea and Greece in early September 2023. Daniel’s winds were forced upwards by the Jebel Akhdar plateau (it is 3018m above sea level) which cooled and condensed to form clouds, leading to heavy rainfall.
According to Libya’s observing network in Bayda, how much rainfall was recorded in the week of the floods?
Libya’s observing network in Bayda recorded 414.1mm of rainfall in Derna in the week of the floods.
How has human-induced climate change contributed towards the floods in Libya?
Human-induced climate change has enhanced the ability of tropical cyclones to produce extreme rain as more water is evaporated from the oceans (which cools and condenses to form clouds) due to higher global average temperatures.
How much has the Mediterranean Sea warmed by?
The Mediterranean Sea has warmed by an average of 2oC over the past 40 years.
Also, the summer daily average sea surface temperatures of the Mediterranean sea hit new records, reaching as high as 28oC in August.
As summarised by Dr. Liz Stephens, an associate professor in climate risks and residence at the University of Reading:
Climate change “increases the intensity of the strongest medicanes.”
What were the social impacts of the flood?
More than 4000 people were killed and some 10,000 were missing.
What were the economic impacts of the flood?
The $1.65 billion total of damages and losses account for 3.6 per cent of Libya’s GDP in 2022, this temporarily disrupted oil exports from Libya which is an OPEC nation. It produced about 1 million barrels of oil per day in August, according to OPEC. The economy of Libya depends primarily on revenues from the petroleum sector, which represents over 95% of export earnings and 60% of GDP.
US oil prices increased by 2.3% to as much as $89.29 a barrel, adding inflation in the US economy.
What hampered the movement of refugees, rescue crews, government services & aid?
The damage to infrastructure combined with Libya’s poorly run government bureaucracy hampered the movement of refugees, rescue crews, government services and aid.
For example, the first delivery emergency deliveries were much delayed arriving some 36 hours after the flood.
How did poor communication worsen the impact of the flood.
Official in the city of Derna issued conflicting orders about evacuations and imposed a curfew that effectively trapped people in the path of the 7.9 billion gallons of water released by the collapse of two dams.
What were the issues with the dams?
Cracks had been reported in the dams since 1998.
According to a state-run audit agency, the lack of maintenance occurred despite funding equivalent to € 2 million for maintenance in 2012 and 2013,
What was damage to infrastructure?
About 25% of Derna (a port city in eastern Libya) was destroyed by 7.9 billion gallons of water that flowed downstream along the Wadi Derna River, which bisects the city.
This large volume of water caused failure of the Abu Mansour and Derna dams which collapsed due to pressure from heavy rains.
