Kenya: after drought comes deluge of floods and destruction
By Standard Team Flooding has claimed three lives, displaced hundreds and cut off towns following heavy rainfall, even as meteorologists warn it would get worse. The most affected areas are Coast and North Eastern provinces, which have seen a sudden increase in rainfall in line with the Meteorological Department’s forecast in August that flooding, would affect several parts of the country with the advent of El Nino rains. Four hundred families have been displaced at Kurwa and Kanagoni areas in Magarini. River, more than 70 lorries and public service vehicles were stranded after flash floods. A team of Kenyan and US military personnel has been dispatched to Kanagoni Bridge that was damaged, cutting off the road link between Malindi and Lamu towns. … The Metrological Department warns the weather outlook remains bleak, as more rains are expected, exacerbating flooding and landslides. … “When water levels reach one foot people should start taking precautions. Already by today (on Thursday) Lamu in Coast province received 99.2mm in a day. This is twice the amount the area normally receive in a month during rainy seasons,” Peter Ambenje, daily forecast deputy director Metrological Department told The Standard. …
