From Crisis to Preparedness: Securing Yemen Against Future Floods

West Coast, Yemen – In Yemen’s West Coast, where disasters strike with little warning, the lives of displaced families like Ali and Fatima’s have been shaped by conflict and nature’s fury. Ali, now 53, recalls how he and his wife once dreamed of a peaceful life in Al Hodeidah. But that dream was shattered as conflict escalated, forcing them to flee their home with their children. Displacement brought them to Alkhukhah, where they struggled to rebuild their lives amid a host of new challenges.

Without access to proper housing, Ali pieced together a makeshift shelter using sticks and discarded plastic. It was a fragile structure that offered little protection from the elements or the world around them. With each passing season, their situation worsened. The shelter, already worn and frayed, became even more vulnerable as the rains began to fall. Ali feared the structure would collapse on his children.

“When the rain started falling, I was worried about keeping my wife and children safe,” Ali confesses. “In those difficult moments, I wished I had even a plastic sheet to protect my family.”

Despite his best efforts, every downpour felt like a threat, the weight of the rain causing the roof to sag dangerously. Fatima, cradling their baby, would try to calm the child’s cries, while Ali stood for hours, holding their other two children on his shoulders, hoping the floodwaters would not sweep them away.

The constant threat of sudden floods made it impossible for the couple to feel at ease. For Fatima, every storm was a reminder of the precariousness of their situation. “When it rains, I always fear it will last too long or that the floods will wash away our shelter,” she explains.

One day, while staying in their fragile shelter, the inevitable happened: the family’s few belongings were submerged in water. It was a devastating blow. Despite their rough experiences with displacement, Ali and Fatima realized they might have to relocate once again, hoping to find safety in a place less vulnerable to floods.

Their struggles began to ease only when they received shelter assistance after the recent flash floods. Despite gaps in funding, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) allocates contingency stocks to address critical needs caused by extreme weather events like these. The non-food items they received, including an oven and a kitchen set, brought significant relief. No longer did Ali have to collect sticks to light a fire, and Fatima could prepare meals for their children without waiting for the winds to die down.

But for families like Ali’s, emergency assistance alone is not enough. In Yemen’s fragile landscape, where floods and other disasters are a constant threat, IOM is working tirelessly to ensure that vulnerable communities are not only protected today but are better prepared for tomorrow. As part of these efforts, IOM also empowers community members on how to protect themselves against both fires and floods, equipping them with essential knowledge to safeguard their families.

In displacement sites like Alkhukhah, IOM’s interventions go beyond providing emergency shelter. The Organization conducts environmental and hazard exposure assessments to guide its efforts in flood mitigation, waste management, and water conservation. These measures are crucial steps in reducing the impact of future disasters and preventing them from striking with the same severity.

Like Ali, 70-year-old Ibrahim and his family have faced the devastating impact of both conflict and natural disasters. Ibrahim had lived in the peaceful yet challenging mountains of Mawza’, where he and his family struggled to make ends meet. But their lives took a drastic turn when a rocket struck their home, forcing them to flee in search of safety.

Their new settlement, hastily built with whatever materials were at hand, could barely withstand the forces of nature. As the rainy season arrived, Ibrahim’s family was once again at the mercy of the elements. Struggling against nature’s fury, Ibrahim was concerned not only for himself and his wife but primarily for his son, who lives with a disability. His older son took on the responsibility of caring for his parents and brother, but the family’s challenges were mounting.

One night, as the water began to seep into their makeshift shelter, Ibrahim watched helplessly as the floodwaters swept away everything in their path. “I felt like my shelter turned into a pool,” he recalls. In those terrifying moments, Ibrahim was most worried about his disabled son, fearing he would not be able to get him to safety in time.

Thanks to IOM’s support, Ibrahim’s family was able to find some stability. Through multipurpose cash assistance, Ibrahim was able to meet his family’s basic needs, purchasing food and medicine that helped them survive the worst of the crisis. But beyond this immediate relief, IOM’s efforts have focused on strengthening disaster resilience.

In response to the widespread damage caused by flooding, IOM’s Engineering Support Unit (ESU), in coordination with the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) team, constructed gabion walls to prevent future destruction. These walls serve as a critical defense against future floods, protecting the key infrastructure that vulnerable families like Ibrahim’s rely on for their survival.

One critical intervention is the Al Ameed well in Hays, the only water source for over 25,000 people, including many displaced individuals. When floods destroyed the solar-powered systems used to pump water, access to this vital resource was cut off, posing a severe threat to the vulnerable population. In response, IOM teams constructed gabion walls to redirect floodwaters, protecting the well and solar systems. These barriers are essential in safeguarding the water source and ensuring the community's long-term resilience, helping secure a lifeline for the most vulnerable against future extreme weather events.

For Ibrahim and his family, survival is not just about making it through each disaster, but about becoming stronger, more prepared, and better equipped to face whatever comes next. The fear that Ibrahim felt when the floodwaters rose may never leave him, but the strength he has shown in protecting his family has inspired others in his community.

 “We live with the land, and sometimes it turns against us,” Ibrahim says. “But we also learn how to stand our ground.”

IOM has launched an urgent appeal for additional funding to support flood response efforts. For more information, please read the full appeal.