The Horn of Africa experienced one of the longest and most severe droughts on record — six consecutive failed rainy seasons have created the worst drought in the region in 40 years.
And while rains have finally come, they’ve come in excess in some parts of the region — creating a new kind of disaster. Flash flooding caused the banks of the Shabelle River in central Somalia to break, leading to a quarter of a million people fleeing their homes.
There are still 43.3 million people in need of aid — 28.6 million of which are in Ethiopia, 6.4 million in Kenya and 8.25 million in Somalia. Over 23.5 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity in the three countries.
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About the author
Sara Jervingsarajerving
Sara Jerving is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global health. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, VICE News, and Bloomberg News among others. Sara holds a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she was a Lorana Sullivan fellow. She was a finalist for One World Media's Digital Media Award in 2021; a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in 2018; and she was part of a VICE News Tonight on HBO team that received an Emmy nomination in 2018. She received the Philip Greer Memorial Award from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2014.
