AL-MUKALA: Four internally displaced people were killed and many others injured on Sunday when heavy rain and strong winds lashed their tents in central Yemen's Marib province.
The death toll in Yemen reported by the UN since late July has risen to 61, from four.
The internationally recognized government executive in charge of the internally displaced persons camp in Marib told Arab News about deaths, injuries and chaos caused by the weather.
Residents tweeted photos and videos of destroyed homes, shelters and power lines at Jaw al-Nasim camp in Marib. Parts of the camp were nearly destroyed by the strong winds.
Marib has hosted more than two million migrants fleeing the war and Houthi atrocities in the region.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Sunday that heavy rains and floods have damaged 34,260 homes in Yemen, causing widespread damage and leaving 57 people dead and 16 injured, with the toll expected to rise.
According to the UN humanitarian agency’s update on the floods in Yemen, from July 28 to August 9, 31 people were reported killed and 6,042 homes were affected in the western Hodeidah governorate, 2,753 homes were affected in the northern Hajja governorate, 2 people were reported killed and 3,451 homes were affected in the northern Saada governorate, and 15 people were reported killed and 6,494 homes were affected in the southern governorate of Taiz.
Last week, torrential rains and catastrophic flooding devastated Hodeidah, destroying homes, farms and other property, killing at least 30 people and leaving many homeless.
Yemen's National Meteorological Center warned Yemenis across the country on Sunday not to drive into or stay in waterways, and forecast heavy rains, floods and strong winds in the country's highlands, western and southern regions.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni government on Sunday renewed its call on the international community to help thousands of flood victims in Yemen, clear highway blockages and restore services in the country's four provinces.
Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi said in a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Stephen H. Fagin that the country needs immediate humanitarian assistance to address the damage caused by flooding and attacks in Hajjah, Hodeidah, Taiz and Marib provinces.
Meanwhile, local tribesmen have persuaded the Houthis to end their siege and stop invading a village in Al-Bayda province after the residents agreed to hand over seven people suspected of killing local Houthi fighters.
In recent days, Houthi rebels have surrounded Hamat Salar in the Walad Rabi district of al-Bayda and threatened to attack with tanks after accusing local residents of harboring four men suspected of killing four members of the armed group.
However, residents said a Houthi fighter was killed in fighting with the rebels, who killed one villager as they manned a checkpoint.
According to Nasser Ali Al-Sanae, a Yemeni activist in Al-Bayda, villagers decided to stage a modest protest to show their support for the Houthis in exchange for handing over some of the local population to inter-tribal mediation and for the Houthis to stop their attacks on the village.
“People knew that the Houthis' retaliation would be horrific, so they decided to organize a rally and give up some villagers to stop the bloodshed,” Alsane said.
Yemeni government authorities and local and international NGOs have warned of a “massacre” if the Houthis attack the town, and Yemeni militias have amassed soldiers, tanks and launched drones to prepare for an attack.
“SAM calls on the Houthis to immediately lift the siege on Hamat Salar and end the policy of intimidation and repression they have pursued against civilians in areas under their control for the past decade,” the Geneva-based human rights and freedoms agency SAM said in a statement on Sunday.
