The Kenyan capital Nairobi is facing severe flooding, with roads transformed into rivers due to heavy rainfall described by a top official as reaching extreme levels.
The recent downpours have inflicted widespread devastation across Kenya, leading to significant loss of life and displacement of thousands of people.
Edwin Sifuna, responsible for overseeing Nairobi county, shared footage illustrating the extensive flooding, depicting entire neighborhoods submerged under water.
Residents trapped on the roofs of their homes were visible in the footage. “The situation in Nairobi has reached extreme levels.
Despite the County Government’s efforts, we are clearly overwhelmed. We urgently require all national emergency services to be mobilized to save lives,” he stated.
Heavy overnight rain in Nairobi and surrounding areas has left hundreds stranded by floods, with reports of residents in the Mathare slum resorting to sleeping on rooftops. Major highways have been submerged, leading to widespread traffic congestion.
“The city is at a standstill because most roads are flooded,” remarked Uber driver Kelvin Mwangi to AFP.
In a dramatic rescue, a police helicopter saved a five-year-old boy stranded by flooding in Yatta, south of Nairobi, on Tuesday.
“The child, visibly shaken by the ordeal after being stranded for quite a long period, was safely rescued and taken to a nearby hospital for care,” stated the Kenya Red Cross.
Recent heavy rain has not only impacted Nairobi but has also caused widespread devastation across wider East Africa.
In Burundi, nearly 100,000 people have been displaced, while Tanzania has mourned the loss of at least 58 lives.
A significant factor contributing to these weather patterns is the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), often dubbed the “Indian Niño” due to its resemblance to the Pacific equivalent.
This phenomenon is characterized by differences in sea-surface temperatures across the Indian Ocean. During a positive phase of the IOD, warmer waters in the western Indian Ocean lead to increased rainfall, independent of El Niño events.
However, when both a positive IOD and an El Niño coincide, as observed last year, the resulting rains in East Africa can be exceptionally heavy.
In 1997 and 1998, one of the strongest positive IOD patterns coincided with a powerful El Niño event, resulting in severe flooding that claimed over 6,000 lives across five countries in the region.
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