Storm Daniel struck the region, leaving massive damage, with the city of Derna suffering the largest share, where the storm turned into a disaster in every sense of the word with the number of victims expected to exceed ten thousand dead or missing, in addition to property destruction.
Rescue teams are still exerting efforts to extract the bodies of these people who, for an hour and a half, found themselves surrounded by water in their homes and vehicles and then carried by this heavy pouring water to their death. The affected neighborhoods are located on both banks of the valley that passes through the city center, and the infrastructure has been subjected to extensive destruction, including the bridges linking the east and west of the city.
In view of all this, the Libyan State announced that this disaster exceeds its capabilities and is beyond its capacity. Many countries rushed to help, including, but not limited to, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Palestine. The Philippines offered to provide monetary assistance, and the United States pledged to provide assistance, while Britain joined Finland, France, Italy and Romania in European aid efforts.
On the other hand, as the proverb says, “Every cloud has a silver lining,” and this storm has revived noticeably the sense of brotherhood and solidarity among Libyans, with hundreds of young people from all over Libya volunteering to quickly help their eastern brethren. These fraternal human sentiments are a true reflection of the genuine good nature Libyans possess; sentiments which were almost overshadowed by the senseless wars some Libyans were involved in in previous times.