The people below gazed skywards and waved their arms as our small aircraft circled overhead. Around them lay their flooded fields and devastated homes. Encamped on a ridge with whatever possessions they had been able to salvage, they were safe for the moment. But should the waters rise any higher, they might drown.
After more than a month of unusually heavy rainfall, much of southern Somalia is submerged. Rivers have broken their banks, pouring muddy torrents over hundreds of square miles of land. Whole villages have been destroyed and crops ruined while roads and bridges have been washed away.
In some areas, people are reported to have sought safety in trees where they have been for nearly a week. No one knows have many have drowned but the death toll is rising daily.
"Bodies are being swept downstream by the river Jubba," said Somali aid worker, Mr Abdul Rashid, in the Indian Ocean port of Kismayo yesterday. "People inland are fleeing to higher ground, seeking out anthills and mango trees for safety. It is very difficult to assist these people, they are cut off and need to be evacuated."
An estimated 200,000 people are believed to be at risk in this region more used to drought than flooding. The rains started to fall in early October and show no signs of letting up. The problems are compounded by large numbers of crocodiles and poisonous snakes which are competing with humans for the little remaining dry land.
An unknown number of people have been attacked by reptiles and even by hippos. With health facilities limited and little serum for snake bites, the situation in critical. The United Nations has appealed for millions of pounds, equipment and skilled personnel to help it cope with the catastrophe.
A UN spokesman, Dr Agostino Paganini, says that unless they can reach the stricken areas with helicopters and boats, thousands of people could die. The relief effort is hampered by the fact that Somalia has had no central government since civil war broke out in 1991.
Rival clans compete for control of the shattered country, enforcing their will with a frightening array of weaponry. Kismayo is held by Gen Mohamed Said Morgan, a colourful war-lord with a pointed beard, while a dozen miles down the road the fighters of rival warlord, Mr Hussein Aideed, lie in wait for the next skirmish to erupt.
Flying north up the Jubba River valley in a light aircraft supplied by the UN, dozens of flooded settlements could be seen from the air yesterday. In some locations, only the circular thatch roofs of villagers' huts remain above water. The flood waters stretch as far as the eye can see on either side of the river.
The population of Bardera has been swollen by an influx of 40,000 displaced people in recent weeks. Yesterday, the first delivery of 10 tonnes of emergency food and medical supplies, as well as blankets and tarpaulins, were airlifted to the town by the UN.
Aid workers say it will be necessary to continue flying in relief supplies during coming months.
Bardera is in one of Somalia's main agricultural areas. But its fields of cereals and tobacco, fruit and vegetables have been ruined. So too have the Bakaro, underground stores used to keep grain. Medical experts say there is a danger of epidemics of cholera and other diseases breaking out. Wells used for clean water have been washed away and latrines are overflowing. It is feared the situation could worsen quickly as depleted food stocks are used up.