One year on, the images of the catastrophic deluge that swept through Libya’s coastal city of Derna, killing thousands, linger in the memories of those who survived.<\/p>\n
\u201cLife stopped. It\u2019s only the body that is still alive. I\u2019m not the same person,\u201d says Abdul Aziz Aldali, a young resident.<\/p>\n
He lost his mother, father and nephews, who had come for a sleepover at their home, when Storm Daniel hit the city on the night of 10 September.<\/p>\n
“I consider them martyrs. My neighbours, the Nasser family, lost 24 martyrs. The water reached them first,” Mr Aldali says.<\/p>\n
Derna is built on the delta of the Wadi Derna river. The stream flows through two dams before crossing the city and emptying into the sea.<\/p>\n
The unseasonably heavy rains – along with the failure to do maintenance work on ageing infrastructure – overwhelmed the dams, which eventually ruptured at around 02:00 local time on 11 September.<\/p>\n
\u201cA huge wave came through [the house]. Water filled up two floors in less than a second. The water was moving us around the house in the darkness,\u201d Mr Aldali recalls.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe water was taking me up and down. I swim very well, but it\u2019s hard to control when the water keeps flipping you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eventually, the waves propelled him outside.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spotted a network tower. A wave came and pushed me towards it, so I clung to it and tried to resist as much as I could.\u201d<\/p>\n
A deluge of water struck the city with an estimated force of 24 million tonnes, sparing no one.<\/p>\n
\u201cI looked at the people – small children who couldn\u2019t save themselves. Those who were destined to live survived. Those who weren\u2019t passed away,\u201d Mr Aldali recalls.<\/p>\n