ABDUL Hamid Dbeibeh, the leader of Libya’s unity government headquartered in Tripoli, has revealed a substantial commitment of 2 billion Libyan dinars ($446.4 million) to the Benghazi and Derna Cities Reconstruction Fund. This initiative aims to facilitate the recovery of municipalities severely impacted by destructive floods.
The official Hokomitna platform reported Dbeibeh’s announcement, stating, ‘Two billion Libyan dinars were allocated for the reconstruction of the affected municipalities that were destroyed by the floods.’
To expedite the reconstruction efforts in the flood-ravaged regions of eastern Libya, Dbeibeh has instructed the Transportation Projects Implementation Agency to engage specialised international companies. These companies will be responsible for the reconstruction of concrete culverts and the maintenance of several bridges in the affected areas.
Al-Hussein Sweidan, the head of the roads and bridges department within the Tripoli-based government, highlighted the dire situation in Derna. Sweidan estimated that the cost of restoring damaged roads and bridges in the city could amount to approximately 300 million Libyan dinars, ($67 million).
The devastating floods in eastern Libya resulted from the impact of Storm Daniel, claiming the lives of over 5,300 individuals, with many more individuals still unaccounted for, according to various sources. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent reported on Monday that the number of missing persons in the aftermath of the floods reached an alarming 10,000.
The torrential rains, unleashed by the powerful cyclone, swept through multiple areas in eastern Libya, including Benghazi, Al Bayda, Al-Marj, Soussa, and Derna. In response to the extensive damage caused by the storm and subsequent floods, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh declared all affected areas as disaster zones, signifying the urgency of rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.