The death toll from flood-related incidents in Kenya has surpassed 200 since March, as a cyclone heads towards the Tanzanian coast.
According to AFP, the interior ministry said this on Friday.
East Africa has been hit by heavy rains, leading to flooding and landslides that have destroyed crops, homes, and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
In Kenya, 210 people have died due to severe weather conditions, with 22 fatalities in the last 24 hours. Over 165,000 people have been displaced from their homes, and 90 are reported missing, raising concerns that the death toll could climb higher.
Neighboring Tanzania, where flooding has claimed at least 155 lives, is also preparing for cyclone Hidaya, which is expected to bring heavy rain, wind, and waves to its coast.
Tanzanian authorities have warned that Hidaya has strengthened into a full-fledged cyclone and was located about 400 kilometers from the southeastern city of Mtwara at 3:00 am local time, 0000GMT.
“Cyclone Hidaya has continued to strengthen further, with wind speeds increasing to about 130 kilometers per hour,” they said in a weather bulletin.
In Tanzania, where flooding has claimed at least 155 lives, preparations are underway for cyclone Hidaya, expected to bring heavy rain, wind, and waves to the coast. Authorities warned that Hidaya has strengthened into a full-fledged cyclone and was located about 400 kilometers from the southeastern city of Mtwara at 3:00 am local time (0000GMT).
Kenya’s interior ministry has forecasted that the cyclone is likely to “bring strong winds and large ocean waves, with heavy rainfall” expected to hit the coast starting Sunday.
Rescue operations in Kenya have been challenging, with teams using boats and aircraft to reach those marooned by the floods. Dramatic footage shared by the Kenya Red Cross showed the rescue of a man who had been stranded in a tree for five days in Garissa.
The country’s military has joined search and rescue efforts after President William Ruto deployed them to evacuate people from flood-prone areas. However, opposition politicians and lobby groups have criticized the government for being unprepared and slow to respond to the crisis despite weather warnings.
In one of the deadliest incidents, dozens of villagers were killed when a makeshift dam burst near Mai Mahiu in the Rift Valley. The interior ministry reported 52 bodies recovered and 49 people still missing after the disaster.
In response, the ministry ordered people living close to major rivers or near 178 “filled up or near filled up dams or water reservoirs” to vacate the area within 24 hours.
The heavier than usual rains have also caused fatalities in Burundi, where at least 29 people have died, 175 have been injured, and tens of thousands displaced since September last year, according to the United Nations.
These rains have been intensified by the El Nino weather pattern, a naturally occurring climate phenomenon associated with increased heat worldwide, leading to drought in some areas and heavy downpours elsewhere.
In 2023, more than 300 people died in rains and floods in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia, as the region was recovering from its worst drought in four decades.
The cyclone season in the southwest Indian Ocean typically lasts from November to April and sees around a dozen storms each year.
