‘We knew ahead of time’: A decade of turmoil left Libya unprepared for a catastrophic storm

“Libya, even when you approach it from its most advanced cities like Tripoli or Benghazi, is not equipped,” said Jalel Harchaoui, an associate fellow specializing in Libya at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London, adding that the situation is made worse as the floods have hit the “most neglected municipality” (Derna) in the particularly troubled province of Cyrenaica.