At least 15 people have died in Kenya as floods swept away scores of houses and devastated farmland following torrential rains, the Red Cross said on Monday.
Heavy rainfall has pounded the country, particularly the bone-dry north, in recent days, and sent water gushing into homes and submerging roads, with similar scenes playing out across other parts of East Africa.
"As of yesterday, 15,264 households have been affected, with 15 casualties reported," the Kenya Red Cross said on X, formerly Twitter.
More than 1,000 livestock have died while at least 240 acres (97 hectares) of agricultural farmland have been destroyed, it added.
The UN's humanitarian agency, OCHA, said last month that eastern Africa would likely encounter heavier than normal rains over the October-December period because of the El Nino phenomenon.
Kenya's Meteorological Department also warned last week that the heavy rains were "likely to be accompanied by gusty winds".
"The strong winds may blow off roofs, uproot trees and cause structural damages," it said in an advisory.
Images broadcast on local media have shown flood waters inundating entire villages and sending residents fleeing for higher ground.
Dramatic footage showed a civilian chopper rescuing people from a lorry marooned in Samburu county, some 300 kilometres (190 miles) north of the capital Nairobi.
El Nino is a naturally occurring weather pattern associated with increased heat worldwide, as well as drought in some parts of the world and heavy rains elsewhere.
Since the start of the current rainy season, more than 20 people have died and over 12,000 others have been forced out of their homes in Ethiopia's Somali region due to flash flooding, the regional government said at the weekend.
At least 14 people have also been killed in Somalia, OCHA said in a situation report released on Saturday.
"At least 47,100 people have relocated to higher grounds to avoid the risk of flooding," the agency said, adding that the downpours had cut off access to markets and farmland in some areas.
The Horn of Africa is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change, and extreme weather events are occurring with increased frequency and intensity.
Since late 2020, Somalia as well as parts of Ethiopia and Kenya have been suffering the region's worst drought in 40 years.
At the end of 2019, at least 265 people died and tens of thousands were displaced during two months of relentless rainfall in several countries in East Africa.
The extreme weather affected close to two million people and washed away tens of thousands of livestock in Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
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Artificial Intelligence Analysis
Objectives:
This text is about the recent flooding in Kenya caused by heavy rains and strong winds due to the El Nino phenomenon, which has resulted in 15 casualties, over 12,000 people being forced out of their homes, and the destruction of 240 acres of agricultural farmland. Current
State-of-the-Art and Limitations:
The current state of the art is the awareness of the El Nino phenomenon and the potential for heavy rains, which was warned by the Kenyan Meteorological Department. The limitations are the lack of time and resources to prepare for the flooding and the inability to predict the exact severity of the flooding. Whats New in the Approach and Why it Will Succeed:
The new approach is to develop measures that can be taken to minimize the impact of flooding in the future, such as early warning systems and better infrastructure to sustain heavy rain. This approach will succeed by providing people with the resources and information necessary to better prepare for future floods.
Target Audience and Impact if Successful:
The target audience is the citizens of Kenya, as well as the international community. If successful, this approach will help to reduce the impact of flooding in the future, resulting in fewer casualties and less destruction of property and farmland.
Risks Involved in Pursuing this Approach:
The risks involved in pursuing this approach are the potential for further flooding and the cost of implementing the measures necessary to reduce the impact of flooding.
Cost of Pursuing this Approach:
The cost of pursuing this approach will depend on the type of measures taken, such as the cost of infrastructure and the cost of early warning systems.Timeline for Achieving Results:
The timeline for achieving results depends on the type of measures taken, as well as the availability of resources. Mid-Term and Final
Success Metrics:
The mid-term and final success metrics would be the reduction in casualties and destruction of property and farmland due to flooding.
Score for Ability to Interest DARPA: 7/10
This text articulates the objectives and risks involved in pursuing this approach, and provides an outline of the target audience and impact if successful. However, it does not provide an estimate of the cost or timeline for achieving results, nor does it identify any mid-term or final success metrics.
