Torrential downpour battered central Duhok and its vicinities starting on Monday evening, resulting in flooding in many areas. Rainwater swept through multiple houses and shops, causing significant material damages. Three people lost their lives as the floods raged on.
“For Duhok province in particular, the Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Operations Command and the interior ministry’s crisis and disaster center instructed us to provide all aspects of required support and assistance to our people in the Kurdistan Region,” said a statement from Iraq’s Joint Operations Command.
Iraqi authorities are in touch with Kurdish officials to determine the “priorities and mechanisms for providing relief and support to our people affected in the Kurdistan Region,” the statement added.
The floods also injured 11 people, left 737 homeless, and damaged at least 160 houses and 50 vehicles.
As the floods raged on, Duhok Governor Ali Tatar urged civilians not to leave their houses unless absolutely necessary, adding that Kurdistan Region Prime Minister had instructed relevant authorities to do whatever needs to be done to protect civilian lives.
Heavy rains also showered the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil, and Wednesday was declared a public holiday in both Erbil and Duhok provinces.
Rising water levels during the rainy seasons of fall and winter have become a common occurrence in the Kurdistan Region in recent years, at times reaching dangerous levels and resulting in casualties and massive material damages.
A wave of deadly and destructive floods swept through the Kurdistan Region in late 2021 and early 2022, with Erbil bearing the brunt of the heavy rainstorms. At least 826 families were affected by the floods, which killed 12 people, including a ten-month-old baby.
The Ministry of Municipality and Tourism at the time assessed the cost of damages caused by the second flood as more than 21 billion dinars (over $14 million).
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