Humanitarian Situation in Yemen Could Worsen as It Braces for another Cyclone

"The WMO says that the storm is not as severe as cyclone Chapala, but heavy rainfall could further worsen the already complex humanitarian situation in that country," Dujarric said at a daily news briefing on Friday.

Cyclone Chapala, the rare tropical storm that slammed into Yemen's southern coast Tuesday, dumped perhaps a year's worth of rain in some areas.

Cyclone Chapala made landfall in Yemen while fighting between forces loyal to fugitive former Yemeni president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Houthis in the country continues. Saudi-led military operation launched against Yemen since March 2015 to restore power to Hadi, has brought the country to the brink of an all-out humanitarian crisis. 

"The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) say that cyclone Chapala has displaced about 44,000 people, killed eight people, and caused widespread flooding and damage to property and crops in southeast Yemen," Dujarric said, Xinhua reported.

The UN agency said that the coastal road from Aden to Mukalla, the principal supply route for humanitarian relief to people in need in Yemen, has been damaged, hampering further delivery of humanitarian relief items by road. The response is also hindered by insecurity in much of the impacted area, the spokesman said.

Seven airplanes from Oman and two from the United Arab Emirates have landed in Socotra, with 75 metric tonnes of relief supplies including food and household items, he said.

"Aid agencies are organizing the transport of relief supplies by sea, air and overland to the cyclone-impacted area. And organizations are delivering water, household items and shelter material," Dujarric said.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), for its part, has provided tents and emergency relief items to the displaced. UNHCR and other humanitarian agencies are further scaling up their preparedness and response measures to the second storm expected for this weekend.

UNHCR had moved 1,000 tents and 3,000 non-food items kits into a number of governorates to support people in affected areas.

Meanwhile, in advance of the cyclone, the Yemeni island of Socotra situated 350 kilometers from the mainland in the Arabian Sea, also experienced widespread destruction and displacement, with many taking shelter in caves, schools, or in the homes of relatives. At least 170 houses on the island were fully damaged and a further 610 partially damaged.

UNHCR in Yemen reportedly has been in contact with colleagues in Somaliland and Puntland to dissuade refugees, asylum-seekers, and migrants -- primarily from Ethiopia and Somalia -- from taking boats to Yemen due to the dangerous conditions at sea as a result of Chapala.

"There have been no reported new arrivals since 1 November," a UNHCR spokesman noted. "Thus far in 2015 UNHCR has counted nearly 70,000 new arrivals along the Red and Arabian Sea coasts. Over 11,000 arrived in October along the Arabian Sea coast and received reception and medical services from UNHCR's Mayfa'a reception centre in Shabwah, which so far weathered well through the storm with only minor damage to the premises."

UNHCR has also been informed that a new tropical storm is on its way and may develop in a second cyclone, to reach Socotra Sunday. Along with other humanitarian agencies, it announced further scaling up of preparedness and response measures.

Also, UNHCR staff in Somalia have once again issued warnings to would-be crossers through partner and community networks.

Over the last several months arrivals had shifted primarily to the Arabian Sea coast to avoid intense conflict areas centered in Taiz governorate situated on the Red Sea coast of Yemen.

According to the UN, Yemen has 21.1 million persons in need of some form of humanitarian assistance, including access to food, health care and safe drinking water, with over 2.3 million people internally displaced as a result of the Saudi-led war.