The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has begun emergency operations in southern Yemen after flash floods displaced families, destroyed homes, and submerged farmland, worsening an already dire hunger crisis.

Torrential rains have affected more than 100,000 people, including those living in camps for displaced families. Roads, power lines, and water systems have been severely damaged, cutting communities off from essential services and forcing thousands into secondary displacement.

With forecasts warning of more heavy rains, the IRC on Tuesday cautioned that the risk of further flooding could deepen the suffering of vulnerable groups, including children, the elderly, and already displaced families. Beyond hunger, communities now face heightened risks of water-borne diseases and exposure to explosive remnants of war unearthed by the floods.

“Southern Yemen is already in the grips of a severe food crisis and these floods have further deepened the emergency,” said Isaiah Ogolla, the IRC’s Acting Country Director in Yemen.

“People were running out of ways to cope, with some telling us how they resorted to foraging for wild plants to feed their children. Flash floods have now washed away homes and crops, leaving many with nothing to return to. With farmland submerged and markets cut off, vulnerable families are losing the few remaining sources of food and income they depend on. It is absolutely urgent that we scale up support to help people survive, recover, and rebuild their lives.”

The IRC is responding in the hardest-hit areas of Abyan, Lahj, Taiz, and Aden, regions already facing emergency levels of food insecurity and severe malnutrition. The organization is delivering cash assistance, mattresses, blankets, cooking utensils, and hygiene kits, while continuing its broader efforts to address rising food insecurity.

Although assessments are still underway, the IRC said the scale of destruction is clear. It urged the international community to rally behind Yemen with both immediate humanitarian aid and long-term investment in climate-resilient agriculture, infrastructure, and livelihoods.