The United Kingdom has allocated an additional £2.5 million to Somalia to strengthen preparedness for anticipated flooding driven by the upcoming Deyr seasonal rains, projected to hit the country between October and December 2026.
This funding is a component of the RESTORE program, which focuses on rehabilitating environmental systems and water infrastructure along the Shabelle River basin, while simultaneously enhancing the resilience of vulnerable communities residing in chronically flood-prone areas.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced on September 30, 2026, that the new allocation forms part of broader UK support aimed at preparing vulnerable populations for climate shocks linked to El Niño conditions.
The RESTORE program is being implemented through a collaborative framework involving the FAO, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and World Vision.
The £2.5 million package is specifically earmarked for anticipatory action before floodwaters strike.
Key components of the plan include upgrading early warning systems, supporting evacuation planning, and facilitating temporary relocations for residents living in high-risk zones to designated safe areas.
The initiative also aims to mitigate the immediate impacts of flooding by providing vulnerable households with cash assistance to cover urgent survival needs.
The FAO emphasized that the new support bridges immediate emergency interventions with long-term strategic investments in water resource management, agricultural sustainability, and community resilience along the Shabelle River corridor.
This RESTORE funding is part of a wider £5 million aid package announced by the UK government on September 23, 2026, designed to bolster Somalia’s emergency preparedness ahead of the Deyr rainy season.
While half of the overall allocation (£2.5 million) is dedicated to the RESTORE program, the remaining £2.5 million has been directed to the Caafimaad Plus program.
According to UK authorities, Caafimaad Plus supports essential health, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene, and protection services for vulnerable populations, complementing RESTORE’s core focus on flood mitigation, early warning, evacuation, and community support
The UK government stated that up to 600,000 people could benefit from the services included in the aid package, providing targeted support to communities residing in flood-prone areas as well as nearly 100 camps hosting internally displaced persons (IDPs).
This new assistance arrives as Somalia prepares for the Deyr seasonal rains, with meteorological forecasts indicating an elevated risk of flooding across various parts of the country.
In particular, the riverine valleys and low-lying agricultural zones along the Jubba and Shabelle rivers are considered high-risk areas requiring enhanced preparation.
Many communities in these regions rely heavily on farming and livestock rearing, and previous floods have caused widespread displacement, property destruction, and severe agricultural losses.
However, forecasts concerning El Niño and potential flooding do not guarantee that major floods will occur.
Rather, they highlight an increased risk and probability, prompting humanitarian agencies to prioritize proactive, early preparedness measures.
The UK government pointed to the devastating El Niño-linked floods in Somalia in 2023, which affected approximately 2.48 million people and internally displaced nearly 1.2 million individuals.
Lessons learned from those events have driven humanitarian actors to emphasize “early action”—delivering assistance and executing preparedness measures before floodwaters reach populated areas.
According to the UK government, timely interventions can facilitate the relocation of families to safe areas, maintain critical public services, and protect the livelihoods of those dependent on agriculture and livestock.
The RESTORE program is not limited solely to immediate flood response. It forms part of a broader, long-term strategy aimed at improving water resource management and environmental stability along the Shabelle River.
The program is integrated into the Jowhar Offstream Storage Programme (JOSP), a long-term initiative implemented by the Somali government and international partners to better manage and regulate the waters of the Shabelle River.
The objective is to store a portion of the excess water during peak rainy seasons to mitigate flooding, while simultaneously utilizing that same water for agricultural irrigation and community needs during dry spells.
The FAO stated that the RESTORE program operates across districts including Jowhar, Balcad, Afgooye, Marka, and Qoryooley, with the benefits of the water management system projected to reach communities across parts of Middle Shabelle and Lower Shabelle.
The JOSP plan includes the rehabilitation of the Sabuun Barrage on the Shabelle River, located near Jowhar.
In September 2026, the FAO announced the commencement of the first phase of rehabilitation work at the Sabuun Barrage, focusing on reinforcing vulnerable river points susceptible to breaching, desilting accumulated sediment and debris from the river channel, and upgrading flood defense infrastructure.
The agency noted that once fully implemented, JOSP has the potential to mitigate flood and drought risks affecting up to 1.65 million people across five districts.
The Sabuun Barrage is critical to the irrigation and water management network of Middle and Lower Shabelle.
Its rehabilitation forms part of a broader strategy aimed at maximizing agricultural utilization of river water while curbing flood hazards.
The FAO specified that key tasks at the Sabuun Barrage include dredging and clearing silt accumulations, reinforcing river embankments, and upgrading flood-prevention structures.
The majority of work for this phase is scheduled for completion by March 2027, subject to seasonal weather conditions and site logistics.
The Shabelle River serves as the lifeblood and economic backbone for numerous populations across central and southern Somalia.
Riverine agricultural plots yield diverse crops, while river waters remain essential for livestock and domestic consumption.
When the river overflows, the devastation extends far beyond agricultural acreage. Floodwaters can sever transport routes, destroy homes and public infrastructure, trigger mass displacement, and severely impede the delivery of healthcare services and humanitarian aid.
Conversely, when river levels drop, farmers face severe challenges regarding irrigation and crop yields.
Consequently, both the JOSP and RESTORE initiatives seek to address these dual extremes: mitigating devastating floods during times of high volume and alleviating water shortages during dry seasons.
Humanitarian agencies are urging local communities and administrative authorities to maximize the pre-rains window ahead of heavy precipitation.
Key priorities include establishing viable evacuation routes, identifying safe relocation sites, and pre-positioning rapid response plans to deliver emergency assistance in the event of a breach.
Early warning systems are equally vital, providing populations with critical lead time to take precautionary measures safeguarding lives and assets.
The RESTORE project aims to bridge meteorological forecasts with tangible, life-saving community actions—such as orchestrating timely evacuations, protecting crops and livestock, and providing direct cash transfers to vulnerable families.
As the Deyr 2026 season unfolds, it is being closely monitored by the Federal Government of Somalia, the United Nations, and relief organizations as they implement comprehensive mitigation strategies against potential storm surges and riverine flooding.
While the UK’s £2.5 million contribution concentrates heavily on pre-disaster anticipatory action, long-term frameworks like JOSP tackle the systemic root causes of cyclical flooding and water scarcity.
Ultimately, this multi-layered approach successfully integrates early warning, structured evacuations, emergency relief, water resource management, environmental conservation, and sustainable agricultural irrigation.
Although current meteorological models indicate an elevated risk profile for flooding, it cannot yet be definitively stated that a catastrophic flood event will occur.
What remains certain, however, is that proactive preparedness measures have been swiftly deployed by the government and humanitarian partners to minimize potential human and economic loss should severe weather strike.
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