Posted Thursday, October 29 2009 at 14:13 More families were displaced in Mandera Central district as heavy rains continue to pound the area for the last three days in row. Millions of property including food rations were destroyed in flash flood that also cut off many roads in the North-Eastern Province. The displaced families who are first victims of the predicted El-Nino rains are now camping at three public primary schools in the town disrupting learning activities in the schools. … The coordinator added more than 500 pit latrine and 700 wells in El-wak town had collapsed contaminating the entire water sources. Adding that their fears of imminent break out of water borne diseases. Said he: ‘’we need to carry out an extensive process of purifying water, distributing aqua tabs and educating the masses on dangers of consuming the contaminated water without been treated”. The coordinator said that there were plans to relocate families living low lying areas which are prone to flood disasters during this time of heavy rains to higher grounds to avert more humanitarian catastrophe in the area. … More displacement as rains wreak havoc Mombasa — After days of heavy rain, flash floods in Kenya’s coastal Magarini district have displaced at least 500 families, sweeping away houses and livestock, officials said. Most of the affected families were from Kurawa and Kanagoni villages in Magarini. Many have already sought alternative shelter, with some heading to a camp for the displaced along the Malindi-Garissa highway. John Manasseh, a local leader, told IRIN on 28 October: “We had assumed that since the rains were delayed at the beginning of the year, we would not experience any flooding. We even started cultivating our farms in readiness for the rain, but it seems we were all wrong.” Most of the coastal region has been dry, having not had rains since early 2009. In August, the Kenya Meteorological Department warned that the country could soon experience El Nino-related enhanced rainfall. Already, heavy rains have been reported in many parts of the country, with Coast Province being the latest to experience flooding. The Magarini flash floods occurred a day after two people reportedly died in Kolongoni village in neighbouring Kilifi district, after a house in which they were sleeping collapsed after a downpour, crushing them. Jillo Galgalo, one of those displaced by the floods in Magarini, said they lacked clean water for domestic use and were at risk of infection from waterborne diseases. “Most pit latrines have been washed away because nobody expected any floods to occur this soon,” Galgalo said. “We are in dire need of clean water because most water points are now filled with all sorts of waste, including human waste and cow dung.” …
Kenya: Floods Displace Hundreds of Families
