Storm Daniel takes its toll on Gaza

By Nour Abu Aisha

GAZA (AA) – Many houses in the Gaza Strip were flooded as a result of torrential rains triggered by Storm Daniel on Wednesday, officials said.

An Anadolu reporter said that a number of houses in different areas of the Strip were submerged by rainwater.

According to reports, after wreaking havoc in Libya, the remnants of Storm Daniel reached the Palestinian Territories late Tuesday.

The spokesman for the Palestinian Civil Defense Service in Gaza, Mahmoud Basal, told Anadolu: “Our crews dealt with dozens of tasks as a result of the storm that struck the Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning.”

“Many homes were flooded and trees were uprooted by rainwater,” Basal added.

“As the storm started heading towards Gaza, the civil defense raised the level of readiness to cope with all possible events,” the official explained.

The Palestinian Meteorology Department also warned citizens of “the chance of torrential rains in some areas.”

Storm Daniel swept several areas in eastern Libya on Sunday, most notably the cities of Benghazi, Bayda, and Al Marj, as well as Soussa and Derna, according to an Anadolu reporter in the field.

More than 6,000 people have died and many remain unaccounted for after floods caused by Storm Daniel struck eastern Libya, according to sources.

The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent on Monday put the figure of missing people in the floods’ wake at 10,000.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi