Thousands of others like Fadellalah are frantically trying to find out who survived the rain-swollen rampage. As a powerful storm bore down on his hometown, the I-T worker in Libya’s capital of Tripoli called his family Sunday to urge them to move to higher ground. “No one expected this,” said Fadelallah, who asked that his surname not be used because he fears reprisal from government officials and armed groups who could view his story as criticism of their efforts.
Derna had no evacuation plans, and many residents said they didn’t know they were in danger until they heard the explosive sound of the dams rupturing. “What descended was a torrent of debris killing everyone,”Ibrahim Moussa said.
As of Wednesday, at least 30,000 people were displaced by the flooding in Derna, the UN’s International Organisation for Migration said. “Everything has gone,” said Ahlam Yassin, a 30-year-old housewife. “The city itself has gone.”
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