The Weather Channel: Drought in Northern Somalia

The plants are the first to die. Then the grazing animals from both thirst and starvation. Next, drought, famine and disease take the children and the elderly. Healthy adults generally fare the best. The pastoral economy here, where wealth is determined by livestock and the search for pastures is a way of life, depends on the rain. But for the third spring in a row, rain hasn’t come.

Photo: The Weather Channel

The first thought that comes to mind when you say The Weather Channel is the 10-Day forecast for my travel destination or the hourly forecast in my hometown over the next day.  I did not expect to find a comprehensive feature about the drought in East Africa. And yet, it makes sense that The Weather Channel would be covering a weather-related topic and how a lack of rain has contributed in a major way to a crisis in northern Somalia.  

The feature Life on the Edge contains descriptions, photographs and videos of the plight of people living in northern Somalia. "The region is Somaliland, a would-be breakaway state in northern Somalia, unrecognized on the world stage and certainly not recognized by Somalia’s central government in Mogadishu," said the article by Tim Freccia and Nicole Nicole Bonaccorso. "Somaliland is a place of relative stability, but the drought has frayed the region’s ability to care for itself. And while the drought is natural, the severity has been linked to human-induced climate change."   Read full article

Somalia is one of four regions of the world currently facing a famine because of climate factors and conflict.  Some governments, including the U.S., have stepped up with financial assistance for the U.N. and other agencies involved in famine relief.  Private citizens and church and civic groups can also provide support with prayer and financial donations.  Charity Navigator provides a partial list of Agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations providing assistance to victims of famine in Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia and Nigeria.