The International Organization for Migration has warned that nearly 874,000 people in Somalia could be forced from their homes over the next three months due to flooding.
As rising rivers and heavy rainfall threaten communities already struggling with drought and repeated displacement, it said many of the families have very little left to fall back on.
''The Danish Refugee Council and the IOM, project that flooding will account for 92 per cent of the displacement as Somalia enters a rainy season, forecast to bring above normal rainfall amid strengthening El Niño conditions,” said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General.
IOM said it is working with Somali authorities to strengthen the early warning system and prepare emergency assistance as signs of flooding are already emerging.
Rising floodwaters threaten to wipe out crops, devastate livelihoods, contaminate water supplies, and cut off access to healthcare and essential services.
Families living in overcrowded displacement sites are particularly vulnerable and flooding will further deepen crisis levels in communities already battered by successive climate shocks.
Despite the growing threat, Dujarric said the IOM has secured only about 14.4 per cent of the required $16.62 million needed to prepare for and respond to El Niño-related events.
It is calling for urgent international support to scale up preparedness and early action before rising floodwaters force more families from their homes.