On 5 December, very heavy rain started to pour down on the greater Tripoli area. The Tripoli Security Directorate called on all citizens not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary. A joint emergency room was formed by the GECOL, the ambulance service, the local communication center, the Tripoli Security Directorate and the Public Services Company.
In the evening, Malik Morsit, spokesman for the Emergency Medical and Support Center, confirmed no casualties or injuries so far among citizens due to rains in Tripoli. He said ongoing rescue operations had begun that morning, with teams focusing on the Second Ring Road area and other known water accumulation spots. Highly trained teams had removed some trapped people from the water.
In many cities, the drainage and sewage systems were unable to handle the heavy rainfall. Several main roads were flooded, some even partially washed away. A large number of houses near wadis was flooded with water and mud. Particularly heavily affected were the cities Tarhouna, Ghariyan, and Bani Walid, where larger parts of the residential areas were flooded. The National Security Agency worked throughout the affected area with all available resources to pump out water and rescue people trapped on flooded streets and in flooded homes.
On 6 December in the morning, the MoI declared a nationwide (in reality a western region-wide) state of emergency across all security directorates and relevant agencies in anticipation of more severe weather conditions.
The Wadi Rabea stream in southern Tripoli deviated from its natural course due to the rising level of rainwater. Consequently, the Tripoli Security Directorate called on citizens to exercise caution and evacuate homes in the danger area.
On 7 December early in the morning, the National Development Agency announced the departure of a relief convoy from Benghazi to Tarhouna and other flooded areas in western Libya, following the orders of Libyan National Army (LNA) Commander Khalifa Haftar.
Later the same day, when there was an improvement in weather conditions, Government of National Unity (GNU) Minister of Local Government al-Din al-Sadiq al-Toumi announced that two persons lost their lives when their car sank in the flooding caused by overflowing wadis in Tarhouna. One more person was missing (and was later found dead). The minister stressed that the plan put in place in advance to deal with the heavy rainfall had contributed to reducing human losses and praised the coordination between the concerned au thorities and affected citizens.
On the same day, PM Abdul Hameed Dabaiba visited the heavily affected city of Tarhouna and prom ised in a meeting with the Tarhouna Municipal Council the establishment of a Tarhouna development agency with a budget of 100 million LYD. Furthermore, he pledged support to the families affected by the flooding.
On 8 December, the head of Libya’s National Safety Authority, Osman al-Meligta, revealed that the city of Tarhouna is struggling to cope with recent floods due the lack of proper equipment. He complained that – among other things – there is a lack of four-wheel-drive vehicles, which are essential in the flooded areas, and that there is only one bulldozer available, which has hindered efforts to manage the aftermath of the heavy floods. Tarhouna Hospital, established at the confluence of two valleys in the 1970s, is severely damaged.
PM Dabaiba visited Ghariyan, to inspect the damage caused by the heavy rain. He confirmed the government’s commitment to providing all the necessary support to the municipality of Ghariyan and announced that funds were already allocated.