For the first time since the outbreak of the August events in southern Yemen, all political parties’ opinions converged over the devastating floods that have submerged Aden.

Yemeni Prime Minister Moeen Abdelmalek declared the city a “disaster zone”, while a statement issued by the Southern Transitional Council announced a state of emergency, describing the situation as very bad. The two sides exchanged indirect accusations.

Meanwhile, AFP quoted a government official as saying that eight people, including five children, have been killed and dozens injured in flash floods in Aden. At least 10 homes were destroyed and 90 others severely damaged.

AFP also reported that at least 35 families were stuck in their homes Wednesday, their houses submerged in water and mud.

The Yemeni News Agency stated that the Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Salem Ahmed Al-Khonbashi, presided over an expanded meeting to discuss the damages caused by the heavy rains.

“The paralysis that has affected state institutions and agencies since the August events weakens their capacity and exacerbates their ability to effectively face such emergency conditions,” the Yemeni premier said on Twitter.

He added: “There is no solution but to fully implement the Riyadh Agreement… and enabling the State to fulfill its responsibilities.”

Abdelmalek, in a separate tweet, called on “brotherly and friendly countries and aid organizations to help the government in dealing with this disaster.”

In a statement, the Southern Transitional Council criticized the government’s absence from Aden, without referring to the Riyadh Agreement.

“These tragic events today come amid a continued shortage of basic services in southern Yemen. The Yemeni government has been absent from Aden. Civil servants in many institutions did not receive their salaries, with a continuous power cut, unhealthy sanitation levels, and lack of food and medicine,” the statement said.

In parallel, the Saudi program for the development and reconstruction of Yemen launched on Wednesday urgent measures, in response to the distress call launched by the Yemeni government, to face the repercussions of the floods in the temporary capital.

The program has intensified its efforts to alleviate the people’s sufferings, by providing waste transport equipment, bulldozers and water extraction tanks, in partnership with the local council, the Sanitary Fund and civil society organizations in the city.