The government has announced seven interventions to enhance Kenya’s readiness to the predicted October-December (OND) ElNino rains that are forecasted to be above normal over most parts of the country.
The Ministry of Interior and National Administration said the rains could trigger flooding, drowning, injuries and fatalities, displacement, disease outbreaks, disruption of essential services and damage to critical infrastructure.
In addition, the government is putting in place a National Contingency Plan, which has been formulated together with the national and county governments, humanitarian agencies, security agencies, and other disaster management stakeholders.
Step 1: flood and disaster hot spot mapping.
Mapping areas prone to flooding and other disasters will help identify areas that are more exposed and thus, they require earlier evacuation and strengthened response interventions. Such areas are mainly defined as riverine and low lying areas, landslide hazard areas, urban flood prone areas ASALs coastal areas, as well as other flood prone areas in northern Kenya.
Second, authorities are unclogging and desilting drainage systems, culverts and water channels to reduce urban flooding. Agencies such as the Kenya Urban Roads Authority are clearing identified drainage choke points.
Details of identified water courses choke points cleared by Nairobi City Council on May 2008 are available from the Kenya Urban Roads Authority.
Third, arrangements are being made to evacuate residents from riparian land and other higher-risk areas with temporary settlement sites in mind for the relocated populations. Government officials are also evaluating bridges, roads and other essential facilities located in regions susceptible to flooding to determine the weaknesses and take necessary precautions.
Community early warning systems have been reinforced by the Chiefs, the Assistant Chiefs, and the Nyumba Kumi structures through increased public sensitization.
Emergency relief supplies, including food, non-food items and medical supplies, are also being pre-positioned at strategic locations to facilitate rapid response.
Lastly, rapid response teams are being bolstered and placed on standby to carry out search and rescue missions, evacuations, and post disaster assessments.
The Ministry has called on all Kenyans to stay alert and listen to evacuation messages and report any new risk to the authorities.