[14/04/2026 04:29]

TAIZ – SABA
The Government Committee chaired by Minister of Local Administration, the head of the committee for assessing flood damage Engineer Badr Basalama, held an expanded meeting on Tuesday attended by the Governor Nabil Shamsan, to discuss reports and the repercussions of the disaster caused by floods and heavy rains in the districts of the governorate.

The meeting was attended by committee members, Minister of State Walid al-Qudaimi, Deputy Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Sadiq al-Jamaei, a representative from the Ministry of Public Works and the Road and Bridge Maintenance Fund, Engineer Issam al-Matari, deputy governors, directors of executive offices and districts, a number of military and security leaders, as well as representatives of political parties and civil society organizations.

During the meeting, Minister Basalama confirmed that the committee’s field visits revealed that the scale of losses exceeds initial estimates.

He noted that more than 22 people had died, with 21 missing and injured, hundreds of homes damaged, and more than 12,000 families displaced, in addition to significant damage to infrastructure, roads, farms, and economic resources.

He emphasized that what Taiz Governorate has experienced represents a “comprehensive humanitarian, economic, and developmental disaster,” pointing to a gap between the scale of the catastrophe and the level of media coverage, which calls for broader efforts to highlight the extent of the suffering.

Basalama stressed the need to move from merely preparing reports to adopting a comprehensive vision based on developing an integrated recovery program for Taiz Governorate.

This program should cover all impacted sectors, address human, economic and environmental damage and provide sustainable solutions for reconstruction and restoring livelihoods.

He called for the program to be prepared professionally and collaboratively with all relevant stakeholders, ensuring coordination between local authorities, government entities, and organizations, and to promote it to international and regional partners in order to mobilize the necessary support for its implementation, instead of relying on partial demands or limited aid.

For his part, Taiz Governor Nabil Shamsan welcomed the head and members of the government committee, appreciating their visit to assess the scale of the damage.

He affirmed that the floods represent a “real disaster” requiring urgent response and practical mechanisms beyond simply issuing reports.

Governor Shamsan stressed the importance of unifying official and community efforts to confront the repercussions of the disaster, noting that the committee’s visit is an important step in supporting local authority efforts under exceptional circumstances.

He added that the floods caused widespread damage in coastal districts and Taiz city due to water flows from mountainous areas.

He explained that the city’s flood drainage system helped mitigate some of the damage, but its completion was hindered by war and blockade, which led to the suspension of remaining phases and exacerbated the losses.

The governor praised the attention of the political leadership, represented by President Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, and Prime Minister Dr. Shaye Al-Zindani, and their continuous follow-up on the crisis.

He stressed that the current phase requires a shift toward implementing rapid and practical interventions to address the damage through clear and specific mechanisms.

He pointed out that local authorities had, from the outset, formed emergency committees in districts and executive offices, and conducted field visits to assess and document the damage, noting that the scale of losses in lives, property, and infrastructure requires concerted efforts to overcome the effects of this disaster.

The meeting also included presentations of reports by the Director of the Public Works Office, Engineer Bashir al-Alimi, the Director of the Social Affairs and Labor Office, Fouad Al-Faqih, and the directors of Mocha, Mawza and al-Wazi’iyah districts.

These reports addressed overall human, economic, and social damages, damage to facilities and blocked roads, and the impact of the disaster on citizens in the affected districts.

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