Disasters in Libya

Libya's most clearly documented disaster risk is flooding. Storm Daniel caused two dams near Derna to fail on 10 September 2023, releasing about 30 million cubic metres of water and destroying or damaging neighbourhoods, roads, bridges, electricity, telecommunications, water and sewage systems. Derna had already experienced four major floods between 1942 and 1986. Heavy rain can also overwhelm normally dry wadis, which are channels that carry water during rainfall, and can trigger landslides, building damage and road closures. Severe winds, dam deterioration, drought and water stress add other risks. More than 90% of Libya's water supply reportedly comes from non-renewable groundwater, which increases the effect of an extremely arid climate, population growth and unsustainable extraction. The المركز الوطني لإدارة الطوارئ والأزمات والكوارث, usually called the National Centre for Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management (NCCM), is the formal national coordination body under the Libyan Council of Ministers. It coordinates policies and measures before, during and after emergencies and works with the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, General Authority for Communications and Informatics, هيئة السلامة الوطنية, the Emergency Medicine and Support Center and other public and private resources. The NCCM also supports an experts register and the Saed volunteer platform. Libya does not have a directly equivalent, fully integrated national disaster-protection system with one binding standard for warnings, evacuation and emergency benefits. The formal system is developing and remains fragmented, with regional differences in command, capacity and access. The Libyan National Meteorological Centre (LNMC) is the WMO-registered national warning authority. It issues weather and environmental warnings in Arabic and English and distributes them to public bodies and media. Forecast-based warnings have provided useful lead time: warnings were issued about 48 hours before extreme weather in the southwest on 14 August 2024 and about 72 hours before the Kufra event on 11 August 2024. LNMC also updated warnings several times before the northwestern event of 5–6 December 2024, when rainfall reached 142–155 millimetres in Al-Qarbouli and Khallat Al Furjan and 129 millimetres in several other locations. Kufra recorded 51 millimetres in 24 hours, its highest station value since 1952. A warning does not guarantee that every municipality receives the same message, understands the danger or can act before roads, communications or local infrastructure fail. The 2023 Derna disaster showed weaknesses in risk analysis, warning comprehension, evacuation decisions and last-mile communication. For a current emergency, هيئة السلامة الوطنية published the numbers 091 303 3164 and 021 4775 557 on 27 August 2026. The caller should state the event type, exact location, trapped or injured people and the condition of electricity and water. The NCCM contact is +218 21 3618100 and info@nccm.gov.ly, but no guaranteed availability or nationwide emergency response time has been established. Where communications permit, a municipality, local rescue or police structure may also be the fastest contact. National Safety Authority structures, the Ministry of Interior, the Emergency Medicine and Support Center, the Libyan Red Crescent and volunteers may support rescue, first aid, evacuation, dignified burial and emergency relief. Their capacity and command arrangements differ by area. Do not enter flooded wadis, dam zones, unstable buildings or water carrying live electricity. Follow local warnings and closures, keep access clear for rescue teams and avoid damaged bridges and roads. Floodwater can carry sewage or other contamination. Debris, displacement and exposure of mines or unexploded ordnance can create secondary dangers after the water recedes. Libya has no verified nationwide public evacuation plan, warning-level model, register of assembly points or national shelter map. Evacuation orders, transport and temporary shelter are generally linked to the event and municipality. During the 2023 floods, schools and temporary mobile homes served as shelters. Road and bridge failures can cut off both evacuation and assistance. Children, older people, people with disabilities, internally displaced people, migrants and communities near remote wadis or borders may face additional barriers. Humanitarian assistance can involve national authorities, municipalities, the Libyan Red Crescent, OCHA, WHO, UNICEF, WFP, IOM, UNDP and IFRC. Support may be delivered as goods, services or cash after an event-specific registration or needs assessment. Libya has no verified general legal guarantee of immediate disaster payments, uniform compensation, one application procedure or a fixed processing deadline. Access can depend on security, political division, road and telecommunications damage, registration documents and available financing. Funding figures from 2023, including announced public funds and the USD 71.4 million humanitarian appeal for 250,000 affected people, describe that response period and do not establish a current entitlement. Disasters can disable essential services for months or years. A World Bank, EU and UN assessment covering 20 municipalities estimated about USD 1 billion in damage, USD 0.6 billion in losses and USD 1.8 billion in recovery needs. It identified 30,975 visibly damaged buildings or structures and up to 346 kilometres of potentially or confirmed damaged roads. Of 447 schools assessed, 117 were affected, 44 heavily damaged and four destroyed. WHO found that 63% of assessed hospitals and 52% of primary healthcare facilities were partly or completely non-functional after the floods. Water pipes, sewage networks, wells, desalination facilities, electricity, telecommunications, bridges and hospitals also suffered damage; UNICEF reported that nine of 18 wells in Derna were out of service. Emergency medical support during 2023–2024 included 78.6 tonnes of medical supplies, 1,059 medical kits, 247 equipment units, 10 ambulances and 15 mobile clinics. WHO supported 32 hospitals, 15 primary healthcare centres and 15 other facilities, including field-hospital, disease-surveillance and disease-control work. These figures document a specific response and do not guarantee current capacity. Recovery planning uses damage and needs assessments, the UNDP Early Recovery Working Group, the Benghazi-Derna Construction Fund and local authorities. Typical priorities include safe debris and unexploded-ordnance removal, water and sewage, dam and wadi safety, roads and bridges, electricity, telecommunications, schools and healthcare. Transparent procurement, conflict-sensitive decisions and inclusion of affected groups reduce the risk that reconstruction leaves communities exposed again. Libya adopted a National Drought Management Strategy and Action Plan in 2026 with a ten-year roadmap toward risk-based drought management and an Integrated Drought Management Plan. The National Water Security Strategy 2026–2050 addresses water governance, infrastructure, climate resilience and losses, with planned or continuing telemetry, supervisory control systems and digital analysis. These measures are still developing; independent evidence of nationwide warning coverage, evacuation planning, critical-infrastructure protection and regular exercises remains limited. Recovery may therefore take from hours and days for immediate response to months or years for infrastructure, services and safer reconstruction.