Floods, fires, failure: North Africa’s climate and governance crises

Disbelief turned to desperation and anger as Libyans struggled with the aftermath of unfathomable floods that as of Thursday have left more than 5,200 people dead and 10,000 missing.

Outrage simmered among Libyans as relief efforts stalled, water and fuel shortages intensified, and the failures of Libyan authorities became clearer. Some project the death toll could climb past 20,000 in coming days.

While the catastrophic storm that hit Sunday was unprecedented, experts and residents say Libyan officials’ mismanagement and neglect may have cost thousands of additional lives. There were mixed messages sent to the public, years of warnings about aging dams that were ignored, local officials overruled by military and paramilitary groups, and a broad lack of emergency planning.

Libya’s floods and other historic climate