Attachments
1. Executive Summary
The Kenya Meteorological department has issued an alert on a possible El Nino or enhanced rains in the October 2009 - January 2010 rains season. It is out of this expectation that the government of Kenya and humanitarian partners set out to prepare a contingency plan in order to forestall and mitigate the effects of the enhanced rains. The process of the planning was spearheaded by Crisis Response Center (CRC) with support from Line Ministries, UN agencies, Non-governmental Organizations and other Stakeholders.
The response to the El Nino emergency will be sector specific and will target the population figures estimated for each disaster zone. Based on the most likely scenario, the main objective of the interventions will be to significantly reduce human suffering and mitigate the effects of the expected floods and possible mud slides. It is envisaged that 750,000 people will be in need of direct assistance as a result of the impact of the El Nino. Out of these are 150,000 refugees who will be addressed by UNHCR contingency plan. The other 600,000 people in the various locations will form the target of this contingency plan. The rains are predicted to be above normal in North-Eastern (Wajir, Mandera, Ijara, Garissa) Coast Province, Western Province (Busia, Budalangi), and Nyanza Province (Nyando, Nyatike).
Each sector has prioritized proposed responses in terms of the prime urgency life saving interventions and intermediate recovery / livelihood activities. The preparedness activities to mitigate the effects of the enhanced rains will start in September/October whereas response to the hazards is expected to be at peak in October 2009 - January 2010 when the El Nino rains are expected. Other medium term interventions to address the aftermath of the enhanced rains will be implemented as from December 2009 and will stretch into 2010 for at least 6 months.
Community resilience/preparedness will be enhanced through communication of early warning messages through district level coordination forums, government authorities and other partners operating in the disaster affected regions.