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Floods Leave Hundreds of Thousands of Somalis Needing Aid

Mohamed Olad Hassan

   Somalia's federal government and U.N. aid agencies are calling for
   humanitarian assistance to help hundreds of thousands of Somalis
   affected by some of the heaviest floods in years.

   A government emergency committee said heavy rains caused the overflow
   of the Juba and Shabelle rivers, as well as streams and creeks in the
   Bay and Bakool regions.

   The town most affected is Belet Weyne in the Hiran region, about 340
   kilometers north of Mogadishu, where floods swamped residential and
   business buildings, and drove thousands of people from their homes.
   Authorities in the town said at least 10 people have died.

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