People sit among destroyed buildings following flooding in Derna, Libya, on Sept. 20.
Photographer: Abu Kakr Al-Soussi/AFP/Getty Images
How War and Aging Dams Left Libya Exposed to a Climate Superstorm
More than 15,000 Libyans ended up dead or missing as a result of a single night of flooding, a stark demonstration of what happens when warming temperatures collide with aging infrastructure and chronic political instability.
The mother of five knew something was wrong with the rain. The windows of her home in the Libyan city of Derna had started leaking, and when she opened them she saw a wall of water sweeping away screaming children and adults. Floating debris killed people in its path.
The deluge that tore through eastern Libya in the early hours of September 11 eventually tore down half of the woman’s two-story building. She took refuge on the rooftop alongside her husband and children. She described the ordeal of watching the rising waters in an interview with Bloomberg Green, requesting that her name not be made public for fear of repercussions from Libyan authorities.