[Flooded street. Credits to Pixabay]

On September 12th, disaster struck the coastal city of Derna, Libya, as Storm Daniel wreaked havoc in northeastern Libya, causing heavy rainfall that led to the bursting of two dams.

The ensuing large waves destroyed entire neighborhoods.

A city of roughly 100,000 citizens matched up against the powerful forces of nature, resulting in 11,000 deaths and another 10,000 people missing.

State media reports that 30,000 people have been dispatched to help look for and recover the missing.

Citizens of the surrounding cities and towns also grapple with devastation, mourning the losses of relatives and friends in the Derna flooding.

The current state of the government is in shambles after the NATO-backed uprising against the former dictator back in 2011, and the flooding exacerbates the country’s state of dismay.

The two warring parties in Libya are currently the UN-backed Government of National Unity (GNU) and the Libyan National Army (LNA), which supports the eastern-based parliament.

The flooding provided an opportunity for Haftar, commander of the LNA, and his eastern government to take control of Derna and other surrounding cities.

Major General Al-Mismari, the spokesman for the eastern parliament, tells the local press that they are “out equipped” to handle this level of damage.

Several countries, including Egypt, Italy, Algeria, the UAE, and Turkey, are sending humanitarian aid to the victims of the Derna flood.

Many countries are debating on where to send aid - either to the capital and the GNU or to Benghazi, where the LNA is based.

Most countries have sent aid to the eastern government in Benghazi, as it is the closest major city to Derna.

However, Algeria has sent aid to the UN-recognized government in Tripoli, which is farther away.

The flood resulted from a very strong low-pressure system that had previously flooded Greece earlier in the month, and the pressure system has been developing in the Mediterranean.

Things are getting worse in Derna as protests surge all over the city, with protesters even setting fire to the Derna mayor’s house.

Hichem Abu Chkiouat, the minister of the Libyan eastern government, has suspended the Derna mayor, who is not immediately available for comment.

Protesters share a common goal through these demonstrations - to show that the government, specifically the parliament, is to blame for the flooding.

Aguila Saleh, a head official in the eastern-based Libyan Parliament, has tried to put off some blame on the government by addressing the flooding as an “unprecedented natural disaster.”

However, commentators present evidence refuting this claim, highlighting Derna’s flooding vulnerability and urgent dam maintenance needs.

The government has their hands full with the chaos from the floods and protests, throwing the entire state of Libya into havoc.

Only time will reveal how this event unfolds for the Libyan governments and the people of Libya.