1.
GV Road leading into Belet Uen covered by flood waters. (2 SHOTS)
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GV People from Belet Uen standing beside flooded ground.
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SV People sitting under makeshift shelters near Belet Uen. (3 SHOTS)
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SVs Views of people walking past buildings in Belet Uen damaged by floodwaters. (2 SHOTS)
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SV People walking along flooded road.
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GVs Damaged houses and dams in Belet Uen. (3 SHOTS)
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GV Makeshift shelters in Garash refugee camp.
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SV & CUs Damaged food stores. (3 SHOTS)
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SCU Woman with baby.
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SV Women erecting new hut. (2 SHOTS)
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GV Women standing amongst belongings in Garash camp.
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Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: INTRODUCTION: There's been a swift response to Somalia's appeal for aid to save hundreds of thousands of people facing starvation because of disastrous floods. Emergency supplies are arriving almost daily in the country's central region, where the floods ended three years of drought -- but devastated the area.

SYNOPSIS: Towns like Belet Uen were completely cut off by the heavy rains, leaving the occupants without supplies of food and medicines. Four thousand of the population of around 40,000 have had to be evacuated and rehoused in make-shift shelters nearby until the flood waters recede. A French military aircraft flew in to Belet Uen on Monday (11 May) with blankets, tarpaulins, meat and raisins.

Two days earlier a chartered jet from Britain arrived carrying 15,000 blankets, two tonnes of canned mutton and 100 rolls of plastic sheeting for shelters. Italy sent in medical supplies, and further aid from the European Common Market was on its way. But the government said there was still a danger of starvation and disease.

Conditions in the refugee camps are particularly bad. Somalia said malaria was spreading at an alarming rate, and that there was 'grave concern' for the lives of the inhabitants of the flood-stricken areas.

Thousands of refugees who fled to camps in Somalia to escape drought and fighting in Ethiopia again found themselves homeless because of the flood. At least 150 villages were either isolated or submerged.