Nearly 26,000 people were displaced when a destructive windstorm hit Afdera Town in Ethiopia’s Afar Region on July 15, 2025. The catastrophe exposed the disastrous effects of climate change on already vulnerable areas. In the midst of the loss and devastation, people impacted are still having difficulty recovering. The region may face catastrophic flooding in the upcoming months, according to meteorological forecasts, which would further complicate matters there. There are already urgent humanitarian problems there, and this would make them worse.
“There is nothing left to eat and there is nowhere left to sleep,” said 50-year-old Asiya Mahamoda, a mother of six and a resident of Afdera who was affected by the windstorm. “The winds destroyed the entire district.”
Over 65,000 people live in Afdera, which is in the Danakil Depression. It was hit by strong winds that demolished 2,527 homes, damaged infrastructure, and killed one person. In one of the hottest and driest areas of Ethiopia, thousands of people are currently without access to clean water, food, shelter, or energy. The entire town was rendered immobile by the storm, which destroyed government buildings, schools, mosques, factories, banks, and utility infrastructure.
In Ethiopia, extreme weather events like this are becoming more frequent and intense, proving that climate change is a current reality that is already taking lives and ruining livelihoods.
“Nothing like this has ever happened in our region or country before,” said 45-year-old Aeysha Suhulle, mother of five children. “It has been a hard tragedy in the town for us.”
CARE Ethiopia teams on the ground observed firsthand the destruction across the affected areas.“What happened in Afdera is yet another tragic reminder that climate change is hitting the poorest and most remote communities the hardest,” said Teyent Tedasse, CARE Ethiopia Acting Country Director. “The people of Afdera urgently need shelter, food, clean water, and medical support. But more than that, they need global solidarity and long-term investments in resilience.”
The climate crisis continues to put hundreds of thousands at risk across Ethiopia. Forecasts for the ongoing rainy season (June–September) indicate above-normal rainfall, raising alarm for widespread flooding and landslides. According to the Ethiopian Meteorological Institute, up to 300,000 people could be impacted, with at least 11,000 expected to be displaced.
Over 29,000 hectares of agriculture, hundreds of water systems, and dozens of schools are at risk of overflow in areas near important rivers and lakes, such as the Nile, Rib, Gumera, and Tana. Over 85,000 people in the Dasenech district are at immediate risk of flooding as a result of Lake Turkana backflow and Omo River overflow, according to the South Omo Zone Disaster Risk Management Office.
Ethiopia is a prime illustration of how rising climate volatility is contributing to an increase in compounded disasters worldwide. Vulnerable communities are being repeatedly struck by destructive windstorms and increasing flood threats, with little time or resources to recover.
Yet just as needs are growing, critical humanitarian aid is being cut, weakening the systems meant to respond. There is an urgent need not only for stronger climate adaptation but also for sustained and increased humanitarian financing to meet growing needs in an era of climate-driven emergencies.
“The Afdera windstorm is a warning of what’s to come,” said Teyent. “Urgent investment in climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and community resilience, the next emergency will be deadlier and even more devastating.”
CARE Ethiopia urges donors and partners to mobilize immediate resources to meet urgent humanitarian needs in Afdera and to support preparedness and mitigation efforts across flood-prone regions.
