The unfolding catastrophe in Eastern Libya as a result of Storm Danial has left in its wake over 6000 deaths, and over 10,000 missing persons.

This disaster brings an additional layer of unprecedented suffering for communities across Libya who have endured years of conflict, poverty and displacement. 

The humanitarian needs are beyond the local authorities' capacity to respond, and require specialized search and rescue equipment and expertise. 

Hospitals and shelters will be overstretched amidst the large wave of displacement and injuries. The flooding has also washed away roads and damaged other pieces of critical infrastructure.

Urgent search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and early recovery efforts are needed to support the people of Libya as they recover from this unprecedented catastrophe. According to the government, urgent humanitarian needs include psychosocial support, food, shelter, NFIs (Non-Food Items), healthcare (including field hospitals) and logistical support, as well as data assessment and specialized technical support.

Since 1998, Canada has sent the CAF Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to help when natural disasters and crises have struck other countries. Canada sends the DART on request, when local responders are overwhelmed and people have nowhere else to turn. In a context such as Libya, the DART can play a much needed and essential role to respond to this catastrophe.

In addition, aid to Libya, including from Canada, has shrunk over the years, with only a quarter of the needed funding for the humanitarian response met. Humanitarian organizations are severely underfunded and require increased support to respond to the level of needs.

Canada needs to do its part and pledge humanitarian assistance and early recovery support for the Storm Daniel response in Libya, as it has done in response to previous natural disasters including most recently in Türkiye. 

We ask the Government of Canada to:

1) immediately deploy the DART to support search and rescue teams in Derna;
2) dispatch relief items from Canada's humanitarian stockpiles to Libya;
3) provide generous humanitarian and early recovery funding to support the flood response in Libya;
4) establish a matching fund for donations raised by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.