![[Kenya] Men wade through water at Dadaab, 80 km from the Somali border, Kenya, 20 November 2006. The United Nations food agency has launched a series of airlifts and food drops for more than one million people hit by floods in Somalia and Kenya.](https://assets.thenewhumanitarian.org/s3fs-public/styles/responsive_large_2x/public/images/200611211.jpg.webp?itok=jBZsGD7g "Floods displace hundreds of families")
The Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) has appealed for US$21.9 million to help 563,000 of those affected by the floods, amid fears that the heavy rains may continue until January.
Six weeks of heavy rains in various parts of Kenya have led to flooding that has killed 114 people and affected another 723,000 in the remote northeastern region, coastal districts and low-lying areas in the western parts of the country.
"The flood situation remains a grim reality in Kenya," Abbas Gullet, KRCS Secretary-General, said on Monday. A week ago, the heavy rainfall spread to the western region, causing large-scale destruction in Budalangi, Busia district. About 12,500 households were displaced after Nyando River burst its banks. A few people are marooned or camped on top of dykes while the schools are under water.
According to the KRCS, the affected people in various parts of the country are either living in temporary accommodation such as public buildings or schools, or in their damaged homes. Some have been isolated. “The health situation is particularly worrying,” Gullet said, adding that there was a high risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera in the swamped areas, because of high temperatures and flood water. Malaria cases have also risen.
"Hot temperatures, coupled with flood waters, present potential breeding conditions for pathogens and disease-carrying vectors … already alerts have been sounded for possible outbreaks of diarrhoeal disease and malaria," the KRCS said. "There are fears that water sources may have been contaminated as latrines, shallow wells and earth dams in all affected areas have collapsed and are covered by flood waters."
Along the Tana River in the northeast, the "coping mechanisms of the affected communities has been exhausted", the KRCS noted, adding that flooding was an unusual occurrence in the arid, drought-prone region. Water levels were subsiding across the Coast province, but people were still camped in primary schools. A case of cholera had been confirmed.
In the northeast, refugee camps and host communities in Dadaab had become difficult to access while 70 percent of the population in Madera town is displaced.
eo/mw
Six weeks of heavy rains in various parts of Kenya have led to flooding that has killed 114 people and affected another 723,000 in the remote northeastern region, coastal districts and low-lying areas in the western parts of the country.
"The flood situation remains a grim reality in Kenya," Abbas Gullet, KRCS Secretary-General, said on Monday. A week ago, the heavy rainfall spread to the western region, causing large-scale destruction in Budalangi, Busia district. About 12,500 households were displaced after Nyando River burst its banks. A few people are marooned or camped on top of dykes while the schools are under water.
According to the KRCS, the affected people in various parts of the country are either living in temporary accommodation such as public buildings or schools, or in their damaged homes. Some have been isolated. “The health situation is particularly worrying,” Gullet said, adding that there was a high risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera in the swamped areas, because of high temperatures and flood water. Malaria cases have also risen.
"Hot temperatures, coupled with flood waters, present potential breeding conditions for pathogens and disease-carrying vectors … already alerts have been sounded for possible outbreaks of diarrhoeal disease and malaria," the KRCS said. "There are fears that water sources may have been contaminated as latrines, shallow wells and earth dams in all affected areas have collapsed and are covered by flood waters."
Along the Tana River in the northeast, the "coping mechanisms of the affected communities has been exhausted", the KRCS noted, adding that flooding was an unusual occurrence in the arid, drought-prone region. Water levels were subsiding across the Coast province, but people were still camped in primary schools. A case of cholera had been confirmed.
In the northeast, refugee camps and host communities in Dadaab had become difficult to access while 70 percent of the population in Madera town is displaced.
eo/mw
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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