Although there are access and security restrictions in Libya, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is adapting its activities to include a medical component. It will provide additional aid of over CHF1 million Swiss to support the affected population.
It has also made an offer to the UN to send material and experts from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Corps. This emerges from a request from National Councillor Denis de la Reussille.
The SDC does not have a presence in Libya but carries out its humanitarian work from neighboring Tunisia. Last week it said it was considering financial support for local or multilateral partners to meet the urgent needs of flood victims.
Storm Daniel hit eastern Libya on the night of September 10th to 11th, particularly Derna, a city with 100,000 inhabitants on the Mediterranean. It caused two upstream dams to break and triggered a flood. According to the latest preliminary official tally, the floods have claimed at least 3,868 lives, while thousands more people are still missing.