Cyclone Gati is the strongest storm to hit the Horn of Africa nation since satellite records began – bringing two years of rain in two days and wind speeds of 170km/h to northeastern Somalia’s Puntland region on November 22, 2020, Thomson Reuters reports.
The United Nations says eight people have died and 180,000 people have had their lives disrupted, with more than a dozen towns and villages inundated by flood waters which have destroyed homes and businesses and submerged crops and pastures.
NASA reports that the city of Bosaso reported 12.8cm of rain in 24 hours.
Heavy rains and strong winds caused flash floods along coastal and inland areas and destroyed buildings.
Gati has since weakened and moved into the Gulf of Aden, NASA says.