Parts of Puntland suffer from many climatic induced disasters such as floods, droughts and cyclones. Among these natural threats, a cyclone, which is a tropical storm involving circular motions of winds, occurs in coastal areas of Puntland almost every 4years. Due to climate change, the frequency has now changed and can be almost yearly. The December 2004 Tsunami which affected coastal areas along the Indian Ocean hit Xaafuun becoming the most affected area by the tsunami along the African continent. The Xaafuun peninsula is situated on the easternmost tip of Africa and is connected to the mainland by a narrow 30-km-long sandbar that can only be crossed when the tide permits. For several months each year, the area is hit by strong, sand-laden monsoon winds, reaching speeds of more than 35 knots. This has a particularly severe impact on the health conditions of children, the elderly, and women. Xaafuun is the centre of the Xaafuun District, and the easternmost town in continental Africa. It is an ancient town previously known as Opone or Denti as was called by Italians. Xaafuun district consists 11 villages which are mostly along the Indian Ocean.
On the night of 22nd November 2020, Cyclone Gati struck the east coast of Puntland with winds up to 170 Kilometres per hour. The cyclone dissipated after around three days, leaving behind a trail of destruction. The stormy rains associated to the cyclone caused flooding in parts of Bari region including Bossaso, Xaafuun, Gumbax, Hurdiye, Dardaare, Karduush and Iskushuban. Nine people were killed by the cyclone besides loss of livelihood assets, death of livestock, damaged buildings and infrastructures, damage to farms, fishing equipment and blocked roads affected transportation and supply of basic commodities to some of the affected areas.
The Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Agency (HADMA) had sent an advance from the 24 November to start assessing accessible affected areas and share advance information. The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Cyclone Gati response and the Puntland Inter Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) Meeting of 25 November recommended a rapid inter-agency assessment to the affected areas to establish the impact of the cyclone so as to make humanitarian partners an authorities make informed choices on the response. The assessment was conducted from 24 – 30 November with the leadership of HADMA and OCHA.
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Final Draft Inter-Agency Assessment Report to Cyclone Gati affected areas - 24-30 November 2020