Feisal Omar/Reuters
Severe flooding caused by a combination of dipole El Niño and Indian Ocean weather patterns has killed hundreds of people in East Africa since the seasonal rains began in October.
CNN
—
Torrential rains and floods have battered parts of East Africa for several weeks, killing more than 350 people and displacing more than 1 million in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
In Kenya, at least 136 have died and nearly half a million have been displaced, according to the interior ministry. Persistent rainfall since October has affected 38 of the 47 counties across the country, which have been hit by flash floods, flash floods and mudslides, President William Ruto revealed at an emergency cabinet meeting last week.
The north-eastern parts and the east coast of the country were the worst hit areas with severe damage to homes and infrastructure, including disruption to rail freight services from the port of Mombasa last month.
The unusually heavy rainfall is largely caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon and is forecast to continue into the new year by the Kenya Meteorological Department.
El Niño is a climate pattern that originates in the Pacific Ocean along the equator and affects weather conditions around the world. This phenomenon has been linked to severe flooding in eastern Africa, resulting in landslides, increased water-borne diseases and food shortages. Meanwhile, the northern and southern regions of the continent often endure prolonged periods of severe drought during El Niño events.
But the Horn of Africa is also one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change. While the total amount of rain annually is expected to fall in the region as the Earth warms, the frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall are expected to increase. This means the Horn of Africa may experience more drought as well as flooding from heavy rainfall.
President Ruto has activated the National Disaster Operations Center for emergency response. On Thursday the Ministry of the Interior announced a decrease in rainfall in northern Kenya is expected this week.
Speaking at COP28 in Dubai on Friday, Ruto captured the immediate reality and devastation of climate change as evidenced by the devastating rains.
“The situation in our region in the Horn of Africa, like many other developing countries, reveals the harsh reality of climate change,” he said.
The extreme flooding comes just months after the region suffered its worst drought in four decades.
“A few months ago, we were hit by a severe drought and now we are complaining about too much water. People always feel the stress of these two effects,” Somali Red Cross Communications Director Abdulkadir Afi told CNN.
“Whether there’s less water or too much water, either way, people are suffering,” Afi added.
According to the United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA), the death toll from the floods has risen to 110 in Somalia and 57 in Ethiopia.
In northern Tanzania, authorities said 49 people were killed by floods accompanied by mudslides following heavy rains in the country’s Manyara province.
Up to 85 people were injured, Manyara Governor Queen Sendiga said on Monday, according to state media.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan led the response services “to help rescue and prevent more disasters.”
In eastern Kenya, the flood has wreaked havoc on the Dadaab refugee camp, which hosts around 300,000 refugees. The camp has seen a significant number of new arrivals over the past three years — some of them fleeing food insecurity and drought conditions in Somalia.
In November, in Hagadera, a camp inside the Dadaab compound, three of 15 blocks of houses sank, leaving about 20,000 people – about 13% of the camp – displaced and sheltering in schools and places of worship, according to the International Rescue Committee (IRC ).
Humanitarian organizations reported outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as cholera and acute watery diarrhea due to damaged latrines and lack of access to safe drinking water.
Aid efforts to reach food, clean water and medical aid to those in the worst-hit areas of the camp have been hampered by damaged and impassable roads, according to the IRC.
“It is a painful reminder of its disproportionate impact and a call to action for all of us to mobilize quickly to address this imbalance with urgency, solidarity and inclusion.”