Psychology Today | 02.06.2026 05:45
In September 2023, a cluster of rainstorms settled over the Libyan desert—inches of rain where inches of rain are no one’s idea of normal. The storms gathered into Storm Daniel, a Mediterranean cyclone that reached eastern Libya on the 10th. Over the next 24 hours, parts of the region took five to nine inches. The water funneled into the dry valley running through Derna, a place little troubled by rain. One resident later said the valley was completely dry at sunset. By 2 a.m., the water had topped the Abu Mansour Dam, working at its clay and rock until it gave. When it collapsed, and then a second dam behind it, the valley filled. Thousands were killed or swept away.
