Govt orders immediate evacuation of people living in flood-prone areas

The government has now ordered immediate evacuation of people living in flood-prone areas as part of the state policy to protect lives in the face of ongoing danger-level rainfall.

Interior Cabinet Secretary, Dr.  Fred  Matiang’i,  says  administrators  have  begun  enforcing population transfer  in  lower  part of Garissa and Tana River counties  targeting residents who are yet to heed voluntary evacuation orders.

“Effective this morning, we have raised  the level of alert and instructed our regional security teams  in  North  Eastern, parts of Eastern  and  the  Coast  region  to begin moving people away  from potential danger using public resources,” he said.

Speaking during a press briefing at the Kenya Meteorological Department Headquarters in Nairobi Wednesday, Dr. Matiang’i maintained that the orders will remain in place until the looming risks and threats clear up.

So  far,  194  people  have  been  killed  by  floods  and  related  hazards,  especially  in  Western Kenya, Central, and Coastal regions. Crops running into 8,000 acres have also been swept away, including rice fields in Nyando area.

The Ministry of Water,  Sanitation and  Irrigation,  confirmed that the floods have destroyed critical  infrastructure  thereby  affecting  water  supply  to  various  towns,  including  Nairobi, Nyeri, Kisumu, and Nakuru.

The Cabinet Secretary for Sicily Kariuki said, “The landslides  and  floods we have seen  in areas  like  Aberdare  have  washed  away  water  infrastructure  and  blocked  pipes.  Water rationing  will  continue  in  the  affected  areas  in  the  next  five  days,  but  we  have  mobilized technical teams to fix the damages and restore supply.”

The weatherman has warned that some parts will experience rainfall as high as 24 mm per day  by  the  coming  weekend,  and  CS  for  Devolution  and  ASALS,  Eugene  Wamalwa,  has lamented that far few people are heeding these advisories.

According  to  the  Ministry  of  Energy,  Masinga  Dam  has  already  surpassed  its  maximum storage level of  1056.5  above sea level and  reached historical recordings of 1057.86 above sea level. The Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter divulged that Turkwel Gorge Dam has also hit a higher mark of 1139 above sea level, a testament of the severity of the situation and urged residents to move to higher grounds.

ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru stated that the government has adopted a cash transfer model to help those displaced access life-saving humanitarian assistance.

Environment and Forestry CS, Keriako Tobiko, weighed in with the measures prescribed by experts to address climate change in the country and across the globe. He urged Kenyans to step up environmental protection efforts and called for afforestation of degraded areas as the viable long-term solutions to the disasters and emergencies that are now claiming thousands of lives and destroying property each year.

Regarding  the  war  against  COVID-19,  the  Ministry  of  Health  is  set  to  mobilize  the distribution of masks and essential hygiene supplies to persons displaced by the rains in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus in various camps.

Dr. Fred Matiang’i also warned of sterner actions against people violating guidelines issued to fight the diseases in the country, adding that the government is considering escalating the measures put in place to virus, especially in Nairobi and Mombasa.