At least 80 families in Muhoroni displaced after heavy rains cause floods
Some residents of Kachuodho in Muhoroni moving their belongings after heavy rains flooded the area, displacing them from their homes. PHOTO | TONNY OMONDI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Residents have been forced to abandon their homes due and seek refuge in churches and schools within the region.
- Mr Owako from the Red Cross said that they are keenly watching Ahero and Kano plains which have been hit by heavy floods in the recent past.
- He urged locals in vulnerable areas to move to higher grounds to avert loss of lives and property.
- Most displaced families are camping in nearby schools thus paralysing learning.
At least 80 families from Kachuodho Village in Muhoroni Sub-County, Kisumu County, have been displaced following heavy rains.
The displacement comes a day after three people were killed by floods on Saturday in Bondo, Siaya County.
Residents have been forced to abandon their homes and seek refuge in churches and schools within the region.
Kenya Red Cross western region coordinator Emmanuel Owako on Sunday said the situation was getting worse by the day, warning that waters in River Nyando were rising.
Mr Owako said his team was monitoring the situation and the response would be swift since they had mapped out areas that are vulnerable to floods.
He said they were working closely with the communities to sensitise and equip them on how to manage flood disasters.
CHANGING WEATHER PATTERNS
“With the changing weather patterns, we are not only paying attention to lowland areas but to the entire region.
“The (situation) witnessed in Bondo in which some lives were lost has placed us on high alert in the entire region.
“We call on the community to ensure there is good drainage to ensure that the rainwater flows,” he said by phone.
Mr Owako further revealed that they were keenly watching the Ahero and Kano plains, which have been hit by heavy floods in the recent past.
He urged locals in vulnerable areas to move to higher ground to avert loss of lives and property.
MOVE TO SAFER GROUND
“We don’t want to see lives lost in floods as witnessed in the past years.
"Let families living in low areas move out and seek refuge in higher ground,” he added.
The floods have made roads impassable for motor vehicles, while pedestrians are forced to support themselves using strong sticks so as not to be swept away by the raging waters.
“I have been forced to camp in Kachuodho Primary School since Thursday because my house is flooded.
"I have no food and no place to stay and I wonder for how long the situation will stay this way,” said Ms Sylpher Juma.
Another resident, Ms Grace Anyango, said: “I am counting losses caused by the floods. My three cows and 10 chickens were all swept away by the floods and they were my only source of income.”
Learning has also been paralysed, as schools are being used as shelter by the residents.
“We call on the government to assist us. Our children are suffering.
"They are prone to water-borne diseases and they are not going to school because of the floods,” said Mrs Dorice Anyango.
