Late Tuesday into early Wednesday, a small town in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley experienced severe floods due to the overflowing of the local river and agricultural canals.
The floodwaters inundated the Al-Bustan neighbourhood, causing significant damage to homes.
Municipal workers were swiftly mobilized to unclog the drains and prevent further water intrusion into residential areas until the early morning hours.
In addition to the localized floods, heavy torrents swept through several areas across Lebanon.
In Jounieh, north of Beirut, floodwaters invaded a hospital, specifically impacting the emergency department and inundating the nearby parking lot, leading to chaos at the facility.
The Lebanese Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s Meteorological Service has forecasted cloudy weather for Wednesday, with dense fog over the highlands and stable temperatures along the coast.
However, temperatures are expected to drop slightly in mountainous and inland areas.
Scattered rain, occasionally heavy and accompanied by thunderstorms, is anticipated in the northern and inland regions, with the potential for hail.
There is also a risk of further flash floods in these areas during the late morning, though the intensity of the rainfall is expected to decrease by the afternoon and subside by nightfall, leading to partly cloudy conditions.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has cautioned that the number of Syrian refugees leaving Lebanon is likely to continue rising as donor agencies reduce their aid and pressures mount on their access to Cyprus.
Amy Pope, the director general of the organization, revealed that around 3,000 Syrians have left Lebanon since January, compared to 4,500 throughout the entire previous year, with many heading to Cyprus, approximately 180 kilometres away.
Pope explained that “Governments are cutting funding directed towards agencies working with people fleeing from Syria, which has been ravaged by civil war for over 13 years, making matters worse.”
She added, “What concerns me is that we will see it become increasingly difficult for Syrians to live safely in Lebanon.”
