International aid is slowly starting to reach the devastated port city of Derna, Libya, as the death toll from Storm Daniel continues to rise.
The storm, which hit the country on Saturday night, caused widespread flooding and damage. The Libyan Red Crescent has said that 10,000 people are missing, and the director of Al-Bayda Medical Center, Abdul Rahim Maziq, has estimated that the death toll could reach 20,000.
The full extent of the devastation is still not clear, as aid agencies have been struggling to reach the affected areas. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday that at least 30,000 people have been displaced in Derna, and 6,085 have been displaced in other storm-hit areas.
The IOM said that the need to bury the bodies to avoid the spread of disease is so great that hundreds are being buried collectively in one grave. Derna residents have also been pleading for a new field hospital as the two existing hospitals in the town have become makeshift morgues.
The Libyan government has said that it is working to provide aid to the affected areas, but the scale of the disaster is putting a strain on resources. The country has been politically divided for years, and the international community has been slow to respond to the crisis.
France has announced that it will send a field hospital and about 50 military and civilian personnel to Libya to help with the relief effort. Other countries, including Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, have also pledged aid.
The Libyan people are facing a major humanitarian crisis. The death toll is likely to rise, and the displaced people will need food, water, shelter, and medical care. The international community must urgently step up its response to this disaster.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
