The Environmental Dimensions of Libya’s Flood Disaster
CISR
This headline is brought to you by the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR) which works to support resilience and recovery in global communities affected by war and conflict.
(COEBS) The Storm Daniel medicane made landfall in Libya on 10th September, after causing record-breaking rainfall and flooding in Greece. Winds of 70-80 km/h damaged infrastructure and generated dust storms, whilst record rainfall of between 150-240 mm caused flash flooding in the wadis (seasonal rivers) of the Jebel Akhdar plateau.
A weather system like Storm Daniel was unprecedented in Libya. Scientists had calculated it as a 1-in-300 to 1-in-600 year event. However, climate change makes such an event 50 times more likely, and up to 50% more intense. It is likely that warmer sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean played a role, this year they were 2-3°C above average.