Iraq’s prime minister ordered emergency aid on Wednesday for the country’s northern Kurdistan region after days of pounding rain triggered deadly floods that swept through towns, damaged roads, and cut off communities from basic services. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani instructed Baghdad’s Finance Ministry and disaster authorities to move quickly, aiming to get relief supplies and evacuation support into some of the hardest-hit areas as weather conditions ease.
According to his media office, al-Sudani told the Finance Ministry to set up an emergency fund and tasked the National Center for Emergency, Crisis, and Disaster Management “to provide the necessary assistance and support” to the Kurdistan Region. The decision came after swollen rivers and sudden torrents inundated streets and underpasses, with local outlets reporting washed-out infrastructure, submerged neighborhoods, and multiple deaths and injuries across northern provinces.
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In a separate statement, the Security Media Cell, which speaks for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, announced that al-Sudani had ordered the creation of an advanced command center between Kirkuk and Salahuddin provinces. Aircraft are to be deployed for rescue and evacuation flights once conditions become safe enough to fly.
The crisis tests both Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Kurdish authorities, who share responsibility for disaster response in a region already strained by years of conflict, displacement, and underinvestment in basic services. Flash floods are a recurring threat in Iraq, where aging drainage systems, rapid urban growth, and stressed river basins have left many communities exposed to extreme weather that scientists link to a warming climate.