On September 10, catastrophic floods, caused by Mediterranean Storm “Daniel”, struck Eastern Libya, causing the collapse of two crucial dams in the area. 

The main damage of the floods occurred in the Mediterranean coastal city of Derna. As of now, 4000 people have been confirmed dead and 10000 are still missing.

Accumulating an extreme 4 inches of rain, the collapse of the dams is the reason this storm became so detrimental. On the night of the flood, the Wadi Derna River which runs through the city began overflowing, putting stress on the dams. Mansur Dam collapsed first, followed by Derna Dam. The rush of water swept through the city and created mass destruction. 

The collapse of the dams was primarily caused by their poor maintenance. The dams were first built in the 1970s, and their designs were simply too weak to withstand the region’s constant rainfall. Since their construction, the dams had withheld multiple storms similar to Daniel. However, in the 1990s the Libyan government discovered there were various issues with the dams and they had become weak.

In 2010, the Libyan government finally decided to begin the process of fixing the dams. However, in 2011 the Libyan government was overthrown and the country entered an endless civil war. Due to the war, the dams were simply neglected and the region became vulnerable to a disaster like this.