Days of torrential rains have hit parts of Kenya, leaving at least 32 dead, 15 injured and more than 40,000 people displaced, according to authorities. Flooding has killed nearly 1,000 farm animals and destroyed thousands of acres of crops, and more rain is expected across the country in the coming days.
The rains began in March during what is known in the country as the “long rains” but have intensified over the past week, according to the Kenya Meteorological Department.
Heavy rains also hit other East African countries. In Tanzania, at least 155 people have been killed and 236 others injured due to incessant rains which have swept several parts of the country in recent days, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said on Thursday.
The rains affected some 200,000 people, Majaliwa said, and caused damage to farms, bridges, roads, schools and places of worship. The Tanzania Meteorological Authority has warned that heavy rain and strong winds would continue to hit several cities, including the port city of Dar es Salaam.
In Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, where some of the country’s heaviest rains fell, more than 30,000 people were displaced, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. On Tuesday, 18 people were stranded there and then rescued, including seven children, the Kenya Red Cross said.
Nairobi County Senator Edwin Sifuna said the social networks that the local government was “clearly overwhelmed” and he called on the federal government for help.
“The situation in Nairobi has reached extreme levels,” he wrote in an article including video of people stranded on rooftops surrounded by floodwaters.
Kithure Kindiki, cabinet secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, said in a post on social media On Thursday, several government agencies launched a joint operation to help victims, carry out rescue work and evacuate those who remain in danger.
Heavy rains on Wednesday forced Kenya Railways to suspend commuter train services. The Kenya Urban Roads Authority also partially closed four main roads in Nairobi and warned of heavy flooding along several major highways in the capital and the coastal city of Mombasa.
The rains are not expected to ease over the coming days, according to the Kenya Meteorological Department, which forecast rains for parts of the country, including Nairobi, until Monday. The agency also warned of a high likelihood of diseases such as malaria and diarrhea in some areas.
The latest downpours come just months after torrential rains and flooding killed dozens of people and displaced thousands across the country.
Here are photographs of the floods in Kenya:
News Source : www.nytimes.com
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