Somalia — Disaster Risk Assessment: Assessment of Community Coping Mechanisms in Flood Prone Areas in Somalia

The assessment of community coping mechanisms conducted during the El Niño period of 2023 sought to evaluate the strategies employed by communities impacted by flooding along River Juba and Shabelle. The study specifically aimed to evaluate the coping strategies utilized by communities in the flood-prone districts of Baardheere, Balcad, Beledweyne, Bulo Burto, Doolow, and Jowhar districts during previous flood events and the El Niño of 2023. The analysis examined how these communities leveraged various economic, physical, structural, social, and institutional factors to cope with and adapt to the impacts of recurrent natural disasters like floods as part of a broader effort to enhance the understanding of disaster mitigation measures within Somalia’s Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) framework. The findings underscored the urgent need for targeted interventions to bolster disaster resilience and strengthen community coping strategies amidst the challenges posed by the recurring flood cycles in Somalia.