Severe flooding kills 66 in Kenya, as heavy rains continue

0 0 2 minutes read

Severe flooding kills 66 in Kenya, as heavy rains continue

https://www.profitableratecpm.com/f4ffsdxe?key=39b1ebce72f3758345b2155c98e6709c

Four more people died in Kenya after heavy rains caused widespread flooding, police said, bringing the death toll over the past week to at least 66.

The capital, Nairobi, was hit by even heavier rains overnight, although no new deaths were reported.

Eleven people were rescued after a minibus taxi, known locally as a matatu, got stuck as water rose in Nairobi, while two children were rescued from a flooded house, according to the Kenya Red Cross Society.

Heavy rains last week triggered flash floods as rivers burst their banks, flooding homes and damaging roads, power lines and water pipes.

Some roads were closed after bridges were damaged in Nairobi, while some schools were also flooded after Saturday’s downpours.

The Interior Ministry warned on Sunday that different parts of the country continued to experience heavy rain, increasing the risk of flooding.

Authorities urged residents of low-lying areas to move to safer places and more than 2,000 people had to leave their homes to seek shelter.

Police said search and rescue operations were continuing following “torrential rains and devastating floods which affected various parts of the country”.

Half of those killed – 33 – are in Nairobi, where poor drainage is a major factor, as well as blockage of rivers and waterways caused by unregulated development.

Businessman Kareem Hassan Ali, who lives in Nairobi’s Parklands area, told the BBC there was about two meters of water outside his building on Saturday evening, although the level has now subsided.

His apartment was not flooded, but cars in the underground parking lot were submerged, he said.

Another Parklands resident, Auditor Deenesh Patel, said he had spent the night at a friend’s house. “I saw the warning and didn’t want to take any chances.”

Both men called on authorities to do more to improve drainage and stop construction that blocks rivers.

“The rain was heavy but that happens every year,” Patel said. “Other low-lying areas have not been affected because they have the appropriate infrastructure.”

President William Ruto said on Sunday that authorities were working to clear blocked drainage systems, but Ali said they had not seen anyone and that the Parklands Residents’ Association had cleared the debris itself.

Ruto also said emergency food and medical assistance were being delivered to those affected.

The floods have not only affected Kenya.

More than 100 people have been killed in neighboring Ethiopia following floods and landslides in the south of the country.

Many factors contribute to flooding, but atmospheric warming caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely.

The world has already warmed by around 1.1°C since the start of the industrial age and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments around the world significantly reduce emissions.