Earth Science News
SHAKE AND BLOW
Death toll from Kenya floods almost doubles to 120
Death toll from Kenya floods almost doubles to 120
By Tanya WILLMER
Nairobi (AFP) Nov 28, 2023

The death toll from floods that have devastated many parts of Kenya has almost doubled to 120, a government official said on Tuesday.

More than 89,000 households have also been displaced and are being sheltered in over 112 camps, top interior ministry official Raymond Omollo said in a statement.

Kenya and its Horn of Africa neighbours Somalia and Ethiopia are battling flash floods caused by torrential rains linked to the El Nino weather pattern.

The floods are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region just as it emerges from the worst drought in four decades that left millions of people hungry.

Omollo said four counties in eastern Kenya were the worst hit while another 10 were on high alert.

Kenyan President William Ruto chaired an emergency cabinet meeting on the disaster on Monday, pledging to release billions of Kenyan shillings (millions of dollars) to the affected areas.

His office had said in a statement after that meeting that 76 Kenyans had perished and more than 35,000 households had been forced from their homes.

"The above-normal precipitation, resulting from El Nino, has led to widespread flooding that has regrettably led to loss of lives, displacement of families, disease outbreaks, destruction of infrastructure and property, as well as prolonged power outages across Kenya and many parts of the Eastern Africa region," it said.

- 'Forefront of vulnerability' -

The Horn of Africa is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events are occurring with increased frequency and intensity.

Ahead of the start of the UN's COP28 climate summit in Dubai on Thursday, Ruto warned in an address to the European Parliament last week that Africa was "at the forefront of environmental vulnerability".

At a pan-African climate summit in Nairobi hosted by Ruto in September, the continent's leaders had called for global finance reform to boost renewable energy and a carbon tax.

In Somalia, the government said last week that the death toll from the flash floods is close to 100, with more than 700,000 driven from their homes and almost two million people affected in total.

Earlier this month, the UN's humanitarian response agency OCHA said 43 people had died in Ethiopia as a result of floods, heavy rainfall and landslides.

UK-based charity Save the Children said in a report on Tuesday that extreme weather events in countries vulnerable to climate change drove more than 27 million children into hunger last year.

It said children made up nearly half the 57 million people pushed into crisis levels of acute food insecurity or worse across 12 countries because of extreme weather in 2022, according to data from the IPC hunger monitoring system.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SHAKE AND BLOW
Kenya's Ruto pledges action to tackle deadly flood emergency
Nairobi (AFP) Nov 25, 2023
Kenya is drawing up measures to tackle a flood disaster that has killed 70 people and driven tens of thousands from their homes, President William Ruto said on Saturday, describing it as an "emergency situation". Kenya and neighbouring Somalia and Ethiopia, countries that are only just emerging from the worst drought in four decades, are now experiencing devastating flooding caused by torrential rainfall linked to the El Nino weather pattern. Ruto said after holding talks with various emergency ... read more

SHAKE AND BLOW
Climate crises drove 27 mn children into hunger in 2022: charity

Gazans in midst of 'epic humanitarian catastrophe': UN chief

Climate and Gaza crises share spotlight as world leaders attend COP28

Aging societies more vulnerable to collapse

SHAKE AND BLOW
Six recycling innovations that could change fashion

Map highlights environmental and social costs of rare earths extraction

Canadian mining firm seeks to suspend 7,000 workers in Panama

Developing a superbase-comparable BaTiO3-xNy oxynitride catalyst

SHAKE AND BLOW
Study identifies key algae species helping soft corals survive warming oceans

Google's 'A Passage of Water' Brings NASA's Water Data to Life

Singapore mulls artificial islands for coastal defence

Being prepared for storm surges on the Baltic sea coast

SHAKE AND BLOW
Antarctica's ancient ice sheets foreshadow dynamic changes in Earth's future

Global warming forced Greenland's polar bears to adapt: study

Antarctic glacier doubles speed as oceans warm

Analysis of carbon cycle during last glacial period can help monitor climate crisis

SHAKE AND BLOW
Over 130 nations agree to include food, agriculture in climate plans

Vertically farmed greens taste as good as organic ones

Tufts University launches world's first Degree in Cellular Agriculture

Brazil to unveil plan to increase farmland by 60%

SHAKE AND BLOW
Major aftershocks jolt Philippines after magnitude 7.6 quake

Death toll from Kenya floods almost doubles to 120

More than a million displaced in Somalia floods

Horn of Africa floods displace more than two million

SHAKE AND BLOW
At least 40 civilians killed in Burkina jihadist attack: UN

Working at giant snail's pace a boon for Ivorian farmers

Mali militants claim to seize military base, army denies

Disease stalks Somali district ravaged by floods

SHAKE AND BLOW
New Archaeological Discoveries Shed Light on Austronesian Migration

Fishing chimpanzees found to enjoy termites as a seasonal treat

Good neighbors: Bonobo study offers clues into early human alliances

How "blue" and "green" appeared in a language that didn't have words for them

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.