Helping flood-affected households to recover

Samir Al-Iraqi, 32 years old, lives in Aden city. As he reminisces about the dire situation in the city right after the floods, he says: “Floodwater and mud-filled my house. Roads were completely blocked and destroyed and cars were swept along the roads.”

Samir’s family spent a terrifying night when floodwater came down from surrounding mountains and hit their house. The water smashed the walls and swept away all the furniture. The family lived through difficult days after the flood as they lost most of their food stock and their house was partially destroyed. They had nowhere to go to, so they stayed in a wrecked house that could collapse at any moment.

Ahmed Ali, 46 years old, lives with his family in a small house in Sirah district of Aden governorate. Like Samir, Ahmed’s family spent a frightening night after floodwaters surrounded their house and they were trapped for the whole night.

“I’ll never forget that day,” says Ahmed. “It was heartbreaking for us to watch everything we owned gushing away in the floodwaters. We ran to the roof so we wouldn’t be swept away too.”

“There was a lot of water and mud inside my home,” he adds. “The most difficult moment for my family was when the stairs of the house were destroyed, and we were trapped and unable to escape. I saw fear in my children’s eyes as we awaited our unknown fate.”

In response to this disaster, with funding from Trust Fund, CARE launched a flood emergency response in Aden, providing cash assistance for 121 flood-affected families to buy essentials and help them to repair their damaged houses.

Furthermore, in partnership with the local council and the Cleaning and Improvement Fund in Aden, CARE intensified efforts to alleviate people’s suffering by providing waste containers as well as bulldozers and water displacement mechanisms to reopen the blocked roads.

Both Samir’s and Ahmed’s families gratefully used the cash to buy necessities and to rehabilitate their damaged houses. “With the cash assistance, I was able to rebuild the walls so my children can live in a safe home,” says Samir.

“The money helped me to rebuild the stairs and some restorations,” adds Ahmed. “I’m trying my best to get back to my normal life.”

“We are determined to continue living our lives no matter how difficult the situation is,” concludes Samir.