NAIROBI — Flooding in the lower Shabelle region of southern Somalia has displaced more than 3,500 people and left them in need of emergency aid, the U.N. said on Wednesday

A TEAM from four U.N. agencies found Bombassa village, 28 miles (45 km) from the town of Merca, submerged. About 600 to 700 families were camping in makeshift dwellings, World Food Program spokeswoman Lindsey Davies said. Some had managed to salvage beds, pots and blankets as well as a few chicken and goats. There were no reports of significant livestock losses, she said, although the U.N. team found water 1.5 yards deep following heavy rains in the catchment area in southern Ethiopia. “It is not a disaster situation, however for the people of Bombassa village the situation is still serious and there are clearly some short-term needs until the waters recede and they can move back to their village,” Davies said. Isolated heavy rains have in some areas broken months of a severe drought still affecting much of the Horn of Africa. Davies said the World Food Program, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the United Nations Development Program would help the affected communities with blankets, water purification to prevent water-borne diseases, and other medical supplies. e http://www.msnbc.com/news/408833.asp