Kenya floods situation report

By Humanitarian Coordination Support Unit to the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya - 15th November 2006

Background and impact of the floods

The Kenya Meteorological Department had predicted a mild El Nino effect on Kenya in September. This climatic trend comes after nearly 3 years of drought in northern and eastern Kenya, which led to a serious humanitarian crisis in late 2005, particularly affecting the pastoralist populations.

The initial impact of this El Nino trend was seen in early October when heavy rains caused flooding in Isiolo, Garissa, Lodwar, Moyale,Wajir, Mandera and Kwale. The flooding led to the loss of 19 people and displaced 1,800 people and damaged the household property of 30,000 people. The Kenya Red Cross, which acts as the Government of Kenya?s main disaster agency, responded with emergency supplies in regards to shelter, blankets, household utensils and food. Between the 15th and 17th October, Mombasa on the coast and Moyale in northern Kenya received 110mm and 124 mm of rain respectively. As a result of these rains, eleven people died in Kilifi and Kwale on the coast, whilst 5 children died as a result of a landslide in Mombasa.

Over the weekend of 11th and 12th November, torrential rains in north-eastern Kenya and the coastal areas of the country killed over 20 people and displaced nearly 20,000 people. These rains have been by far the most devastating this year. Infrastructure destruction has been most marked in Kwale on the coast, with 5 bridges and numerous roads destroyed. The Kenya Red Cross has said that 60,000 people have been affected by the floods on the coast. 1000 people have been cut off in Vanga.

The refugee camps at Dadaab have been severly affected by the inundation, where two refugees were killed over the weekend. UNHCR have described the flooding as catastrophic. The rains have caused severe damage to sanitation facilities and refugee houses, particularly in Ifo camp and have disrupted water provision. UNHCR have estimated that 90% of the Ifo population has been directly affected by the floods ? nearly 60,000 people. Diarrhoea cases have risen dramatically. In Dagahaley camp over 200 latrines have collapsed with over 1900 refugee houses damaged. Roads to Dadaab have been rendered impassable leading to a major disruption of WFP food supplies. The WFP emergency food aid programme in North-eastern Province has suffered similar disruption because of flooded roads in Garissa, Wajir, Tana River,and Mandera. Roads have been severely damaged in Wajir.

Though the coastal areas have seen the highest loss of life, as a result of the floods, the Kenya Red Cross has said that North-eastern Province has been the next worst affected region in Kenya, with 2 deaths in Garissa, 3 children missing in Saretho and Bakuyu, 17,000 people displaced in Garissa and 2000 displaced in Mandera.The town of El Wak in Mandera lies under water at the moment. 3,000 people have been displaced in Moyale.

Tana River and Ijoro are virtually cut off with roads impassable and air strips under water.

The rains have also reached western districts (which were badly affected during the 1997 El Nino floods). Busia District has had very heavy rains and 6 people have been reported to have died after they were attacked by a hippo.

The Ministry of Health in Mombasa has issued a cholera alert. The Ministry has reported that 94 suspected cases of cholera were reported between 20th October and 11th November on the coast of which 13 have proved to be positive for cholera.There have been at least two deaths from cholera on the coast since October. Water sources are contaminated, drainage systems have collapsed and water pipes have been washed away. There are similar fears for public health in Dadaab, where the damage to water systems has seen refugees using flood water for drinking purposes. The rains have also delayed thecompletion of an emergency polio campaign in 5 north-eastern districts, which was started on November 4th, after 2 cases of polio were confirmed in the Dadaab camps.

The Kenya Red Cross has said that overall estimates for the populations affected by the floods are:

The Office of the President is currently compiling Government assessment data and they believe that the affected population may reach 500,000.

The response so far

The Kenya Red Cross has been the key agency in responding to the needs of the displaced and flood affected households. They have conducted emergency assessments in the majority of areas in Kenya affected by the heavy rains. Access to some of the flood affected areas in the north-east and the coast has been problematic because of impassable roads.

The Kenya Red Cross has distributed the following relief materials so far to the flood affected areas in November:

The Red Cross has also pre-positioned relief stocks in Garissa, Kwale and Kisumu.

The Kenyan Government has sent 5 engineers down to the coast to assess requirements for roads and bridges repairs. The Kenyan Army has been involved in aerial assessments and has dropped relief supplies in the affected areas of the coast. 6 MT of food was distributed in coastal districts yesterday by the Government. District Steering Committees in the worst affected areas have been meeting to coordinate information and assessment planning. The Ministry of Health is establishing emergency health management measures, particularly in dealing with the sharp rise in diarrhoea cases.

UNICEF has sent medical kits and chlorine down to the Ministry of Health on the coast and is attempting to get chlorine to Dadaab.

WFP has food stocks in the affected districts (and at Dadaab) as part of their EMOP. However, WFP has commercial trucks stuck on many roads in North-eastern Province, so getting food to the affected populations is facing severe constraints because of road conditions.

UNHCR and its partner agencies in Dadaab such as UNICEF, WFP, GTZ and CARE are involved in emergency food distributions, mobile clinics and water rehabilitation for the refugees.

NGOs such as World Vision, CARITAS and OXFAM are examining what emergency responses they can support in the next few days.

Appeals

The Kenya Red Cross launched an emergency appeal today for 562 million Kenya Shillings (7.9 million USD) to assist 300,000 people with non-food items such as shelter and blankets, medical kits, emergency latrine construction, health education and transport.

The Kenya Government is considering a national appeal.

The UN agencies ? UNHCR,WFP,UNICEF,FAO,WHO will make submissions on the 16th November to UN OCHA?s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for emergency support in the food and nutrition, protection,health, water, refugee and livestock sectors. The Kenya applications will form part of a regional CERF application including Ethiopia and Somalia which will be coordinated by the Regional OCHA office in Nairobi.

Coordination

Natural disaster coordination in Kenya is managed jointly by the Office of the President and the Kenya Red Cross. The main national coordinating structure for natural disasters is the Rapid-Onset Disaster Committee. At a district level, the Government?s District Steering Committees are the key coordination structures for humanitarian action.

The UN Resident Coordinator?s Office and UN OCHA support UN coordination and work in partnership with the Office of the President and the Kenya Red Cross to support national coordination.

Assessments

Although the Kenya Red Cross and the Government have undertaken a range of assessments at the coast and in the north of the country, a more detailed assessment is underway. A joint Government,UN and Red Cross team will fly over the worst affected districts at the coast and in the north-east of the country on the 16th and 17th November. The team will land in the north-east where it is able to. This will be followed by a more intensive set of field visits to the most severely affected areas using helicopters on the 19th and 20th November. On the basis of these assessments more targeted humanitarian action will take place.

Main concerns

The weather predictions over the next 2-3 weeks are threatening. Above normal rain is expected in the Rift Valley, central highlands, north-eastern and western districts. Severe rains in southern Ethiopia will have an impact on northern Kenya. Rains in the central highlands will inundate areas in the surrounding plains. WFP will support the UN in providing regular data on rains

The main health concerns will be an "explosion" in malaria incidence,a rapid increase in diarrhoeal disease (including cholera) because of water contamination, increased malnutrition and respiratory infections because of inadequate shelter.

The Government, UN agencies and the Red Cross are facing acute logistical constraints with so many roads rendered impassable in the coast and eastern parts of the country. There is an apparent shortage of both fixed wing and helicopter air capacity in Kenya.

UNHCR is acutely concerned that the dykes at Dagahaley are in a precarious state due to the flooding. If the dykes collapse because of the weight of water, the camp would be completely flooded. Possible refugee re-location exercises may have to be considered if the flooding worsens in Dadaab.

Priority areas

There are serious shortages of NFI stocks in Kenya and these will need to be replenished. This remains a priority for the Kenya Red Cross.

Shelter,sanitation and water provision has to be rapidly improved in Dadaab.

The provision of safe water supplies is essential and agencies such as UNICEF will be working with its Government counterparts in containing water contamination in both Dadaab and the flood affected parts of Kenya.

Emergency health provision will have to be supported particularly in malaria treatment and control and diarrhoeal treatment.

If the flood waters do not subside, then WFP will need to use aircraft more to move food to stranded populations. This will be an expensive and time consuming exercise.

Key infrastructure will need emergency repairs, particularly bridges.

Coordination ? the Rapid-onset Committee will need to meet on a much more regular basis (possibly every two days) to ensure an adequate flow of information.An emergency response plan for the next two months needs to be ready in the next seven days.