Hammad indicates that due to the damage created by floods, several thousands of head of livestock have been killed.
At least 17 persons have died, and at least 11 were injured by flash flooding caused by the first round of significant rain and snowfall for the season, which devastated multiple regions of the country and resulted in damage to homes and infrastructure as well as to cattle.
According to Mohammad Yousaf Hammad, spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Authority of Afghanistan (ANDMA) the largest number of fatalities occurred between Monday and Thursday in the areas that were most affected by floodwaters.
In addition to causing fatalities, the severe weather has caused significant disruption to the day to day operations of people living in all geographic areas of central and northern, southern, and western provinces.
Hammad indicates that due to the damage created by floods, several thousands of head of livestock have been killed, and approximately 1,800 family homes have been affected by the flooding, as well as damage to roads and other types of infrastructure.
Further, teams are currently assessing the amount of support that may be required in the immediate vicinity of the affected areas.
The country of Afghanistan is extremely vulnerable to floods caused by extreme weather during seasons with abundant rainfall (i.e., flood season).
Other factors that have increased vulnerability include decades of conflict in Afghanistan; the absence of sufficient infrastructure to cope with flooding; deforestation; and increased climate change, particularly in the remote areas of the country where many homes are constructed from dried mud and do not have sufficient protection against the elements.
The United Nations and other organisations providing humanitarian support to Afghanistan have indicated that Afghanistan will continue to experience one of the largest humanitarian disasters in the world in 2026.
