Unprecedented Snowfall in Ethiopia’s Somali Region

Reports from the Somali regional government say that there was snow and wind yesterday, which caused damage.

The area between Wajale and Jigjiga have seen the brunt of both the snow and wind. Saxane Yusuf Barkhadle Noor, chairman of a village called Qaran in the vicinity of Aw-Barre, the town where the core of the snow fell, told Somali BBC Services that this is the first time that snow of this kind has been reported in that region.

“I have been in the administration for 15 years, and I previously been there for 30 years. I’ve never witnessed anything like this, and people in their 70s and 80s have never told us about it. He stated

He added that it was extremely chilly outside. In order to keep the people and their livestock warm, a fire was lit.” For 90 minutes, the breeze was blowing and the snow was falling, so everybody was searching for a spot to shelter” said Saxane.

While the road was completely covered with snow, between Gobyarrey of the Aw-Barre district and Haroreys, a large area of almost 10 kilometers was blanketed with snow.

Some of the damages in the areas include an inspection-immigration center for travelers and traffic and the collapse of roofs of some houses. It is also said that some livestock were lost. No human injuries were reported and the snow melted an hours later, according to reports.

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