30,000 hit by floods in Coast region

Stephen Shipenzi | Nation
A man wades through a flooded street in Ukunda as heavy rains countinue to cause havoc in Coast. The rains have been pounding the province for the past eight days.

What you need to know:

  • More that 100 families homeless in three counties after heavy rains destroy or sweep away houses

At least 30,000 people have been affected by floods following heavy rains that have been pounding Coast Province for more than a week.

Kenya Red Cross Society regional manager Jerald Bombe said Kwale, Kilifi and Mombasa counties were the worst-hit.

He said more than 100 families have been made homeless in the three counties after their houses either collapsed, got flooded or swept away.

Mr Bombe said Red Cross donated tarpaulins, blankets, utensils and mosquito nets to 60 displaced families Mombasa at the weekend.

“Information gathered from our staff in the region indicates that there are 30,500 people affected by floods,” he said.

Adequate food

He said Tana River and Tana Delta had not been seriously affected but warned this could change if there were heavy rains in the Mount Kenya region and the River Tana bursts its banks.

Coast provincial commissioner Ernest Munyi said the government will assist flood victims with food.

“There is no cause for alarm as the province has adequate food for the victims,” he said.

He appealed to people in flood-prone areas to move to higher ground to avoid being swept away.

The provincial medical officer Anisa Omar said the government was prepared for an outbreak of waterborne diseases.

Dr Omar said medical staff were on high alert in case of an outbreak of diseases like diarrhoea, cholera or malaria.

She said her department had distributed aqua-tabs in affected areas for villagers to treat drinking water. She also urged residents to boil drinking water.

Dr Omar, however, said no deaths related to waterborne disease had been reported.

“There is a likelihood that there will be an outbreak of waterborne diseases as some villagers do not have pit latrines,” she said.

“Fortunately, medical staff in the region are fully prepared in case of any eventuality.

“We also have adequate drugs to cope with an outbreak of diseases,” Dr Omar assured residents.

The PMO also said that the department had distributed treated mosquito nets to villagers living in flood-prone areas to keep mosquitoes away.

Last week, four people died in Ganze after the matatu they were travelling in was swept away by floods in the River Rare.

Two weeks ago, the Kenya Meteorological Department forecast heavy rains in the Coast region.

The torrential rains have been relentlessly pounding the region for eight consecutive days.