Residents struggle with floods following a downpour at Bamburi in Mombasa County on November 17, 2023. [File-Standard]
The government has announced 18 counties at risk of being affected by El Nino from October.
In a statement from the ministry of interior and national administration, the country may experience above-normal rainfall from October this year as a strong El Nino event forms up, says plans are in place to respond to any adverse effects.
‘’According to the weather authority, there is an 81 per cent chance that this year’s El Nino will be strong and a 97 per cent probability that its effects will be felt up to early next year. As part of wider plan to mitigate the effects to the El Nino, the Government has mapped out areas exposed to various risks, including flash floods, landslides, drought, disease outbreaks and infrastructure damage.’’
Counties placed on high alert for by the National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC), are those in the Coastal, Lake Basin, Rift Valley and North Eastern regions.
Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu have also been singled out as high-risk urban centres.
In the Coast Region, Tana River, Kilifi, Lamu, Mombasa and Kwale may experience flooding, storm surges, coastal erosion and infrastructure damages, saying residents of some areas in the region may be displaced by floods.