New flooding hits Kenya
2006-12-08 15:12
Nairobi - Fresh rains have caused new flooding in northeast Kenya, compounding the misery of flood-hit Somali refugees at the United Nations camps as the United States military begins aid air drops.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said its Dadaab complex of three camps, where more than 100 000 of 160 000 residents were left without shelter due to the floods, had been struck again with downpours after a brief respite.
UNHCR said: "After a break of some five days, heavy showers had started falling again in Dadaab, causing new flooding.
"Some parts of the camps are inaccessible and the fresh rains have led to the further deterioration of roads within the camps."
Floods claim 251 people
At least three Somali refugees at Dadaab, about 470km northeast of Nairobi, had died in the floods that began in late October, crippling large swathes of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.
Officials said that a total of 251 people had been killed in the three countries by the floods, man-eating crocodiles and waterborne diseases, while hundreds of thousands had been displaced and more than a million affected.
The World Health Organisation said on Friday that it was "deeply concerned by the health situation" in the Horn of Africa, where up to 1.8 million people were at risk of diseases such as cholera, measles, malaria, as well as malnutrition.
Dr David Okello, the WHO representative in Kenya, said: "The floods are expected to continue until at least the end of December if not into early next year."
Severe food shortages
Okello said: "We are already experiencing a serious situation, where people are dying from diseases related to the water and sanitation situation. Malaria will become a very serious problem in the weeks to come."
The three countries now hit by floods were at the epicentre of a recent scorching drought.
WHO said: "Due to previous droughts, people in the region have experienced severe food shortages and high rates of malnutrition. People's immunity is weakened, making them more vulnerable to diseases."
Relief agencies had made urgent appeals for aid, including the UNHCR, which said the US military had begun airdropping assistance to the Dadaab refugees at its request on Friday, 24 hours earlier than expected.
The UN and US officials confirmed that an American Air Force C-130 transport plane from the Djibouti-based Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa had started the first of about 15 planned flights over Dadaab to deliver 240 tons of aid.
According to UNHCR, the supplies included plastic sheets, blankets and mosquito nets. The emergency airdrops were to continue until Wednesday.