Kenyans in flood
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Rain-swollen water levels at two Kenyan hydroelectric dams are at “historic highs” and people downstream should move away, the Cabinet said Tuesday, and ordered residents of flood-prone areas across the country to evacuate or they’ll be moved by force.
Kenya, along with other parts of East Africa, has been overwhelmed by flooding that killed 66 people on Monday alone and in recent days has blocked a national highway, swamped the main airport and swept a bus off a bridge. More than 150,000 people are displaced and living in dozens of camps.
With seasonal rains forecast to increase, the Cabinet said residents of areas with flooding or landslides in the past, and residents near dams and rivers considered at high risk, will be told by Wednesday to evacuate. Those who don’t will be moved by force.
It was not clear how many people will have to move, or how notifications and evacuations would be carried out on short notice, especially in crowded informal neighborhoods.