The death toll in western Yemen following extreme rains in Yemen earlier this week has increased to 40, with five more people missing, Houthi officials and aid agencies reported. Flooding in Hodeidah province forced the evacuation of over 500 households and shut vital highways, including the port, which the Iran-aligned Houthi organisation controls.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs announced that humanitarian partners had begun delivering to hundreds of families affected by the rains, citing the need for urgent assistance.

The United Nations humanitarian office in Yemen stated that floodwaters in Taiz’s Maqbnah area killed 15 people, cleared agricultural lands, and damaged homes and infrastructure. More heavy weather is anticipated to batter the western port city of Hodeidah. Some inhabitants in the al-Mansuriyah district have reportedly been stranded inside their homes due to blocked roads by extreme rains in Yemen.

According to witnesses who talked with The Associated Press, local officials have yet to reach flood-affected neighbourhoods, leaving some families inside their houses for two days.

According to Masirah TV, Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Supreme Political Council, has ordered local authorities to respond to devastated regions. Extreme rains in Yemen have caused “major damages to properties, lands, and roads” in Hodeidah.

Witnesses described the sight in Yemen’s Tihamah coastal plain as horrific. According to Mohamed Rassam, some livestock died after drowning in the mud caused by the floods. Food and water were also lost. “The floods swept away everything,” he said.

Some individuals got stuck inside their homes in Tihamah, a part of Hodeidah. Others were allowed to depart and travel to Hodeidah City.

Many dwellings in Tihamah, where malnutrition has been recorded, are built of brick and materials that can be easily ruined by rain.

People were stranded in the extreme rains in Yemen when high winds wrecked their home, a hut where they and their children lived. Ahmed Ayesh stated that authorities never provided any assistance.

Meanwhile, Khaled Meswat stated that residents in the community only hear about humanitarian aid and emergency services but never receive them. He stated the floods washed away at least three individuals and older folks died from starvation and cold.

According to Faree Hamdan, “I can say that hundreds of houses constructed from straw in Tihamah were swept down by the floods during the past 24 hours.” He also stated that cattle and livestock in those locations had been carried away.

The United Nations Population Fund-Yemen announced this week on the social media platform X that the floods affected over 28,000 individuals living in four areas of Hajjah city.

According to the agency, rapid response teams have been conducting assessments and response operations, and they have identified approximately 4,112 families in need of immediate aid.

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