Home furnishings and appliances of 500 families were “completely destroyed” and 127 homes suffered structural damage, Governor Omed Khoshnaw’s office said in a statement on Monday.
In addition two schools, 130 cars, and some electricity lines were damaged.
Erbil had its first heavy rainfall on Saturday, ending a hot summer that was marked by drought-like conditions after low precipitation last winter and spring. Muddy waters swept into people’s homes and stalled vehicles were stranded on flooded roads.
Read more: With houses and streets inundated, many left homeless by Erbil flood
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said on Sunday they tasked teams to help areas affected by the flooding and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani visited flood-hit Zerin City and Korean Village on Sunday. He said in a tweet that he “reassured them of our utmost support at this time.”
On Saturday, the first rain of the year fell in the Kurdistan Region, ending a hot summer. The rain in Kore took many by surprise, including 14-year-old Saman Sadiq who was trapped behind a flight of stairs pic.twitter.com/SxLAZu9Y60
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) November 1, 2021
Erbil province often experiences floods in the wet seasons, sometimes causing severe damage.
This summer saw record-low water levels in dams and rivers, and farmers lost crops because of lack of rainfall and dams built upstream in Iran and Turkey.
