Devastating floods displace over 700 families in Liboi, Garissa
Severe rainfall and flash floods wreaked havoc in Liboi sub-county in Garissa on Sunday night, displacing over 700 families. The relentless downpour persisted for six hours, flooding homes and business premises in the town.
Severe rainfall and flash floods wreaked havoc in Liboi sub-county in Garissa on Sunday night, displacing over 700 families. The relentless downpour persisted for six hours, flooding homes and business premises in the town. Area Chief Abdiwahid Issack Harun reported that the life-threatening floods swept away household items, compelling nearly 700 families to abandon their homes and seek refuge on higher ground.
The displaced families are now crowded into makeshift camps at Liboi Primary School, Liboi Secondary School, Liboi Hospital, and Iskadeq open ground. The congested conditions in these institutions have created challenges as residents vie for limited space to shield themselves from the heavy rains. Chief Harun expressed serious concerns about a humanitarian crisis due to the magnitude of the devastating floods experienced the previous evening.
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A family at Liboi displaced by floods moving to higher grounds.
"If the situation persists as predicted by weather experts, we cannot withstand the level of these severe floods," warned Saud Abduwahid. Liboi town has been cut off from Dadaab sub-county after the main road was completely damaged, forcing residents to rely on food supplies from the neighboring Dobley town in Somalia. The rains also damaged the road linking Liboi town to Dhobley, exacerbating the shortage of food supply.
The chief urgently appealed for intervention from the national government, the county government, and humanitarian agencies. The majority of the displaced families hail from Bulla Haji Abdi, Derisame, Hursan, Taqwa, Ishi Akhero, and Waberi.
Residents wading through a flooded area in Garissa.
Aisha Osman, a displaced victim from Bula Taqwa in Liboi, expressed the severity of the situation, stating, "All my utensils, household items, and a stock of food I shopped from neighboring Somalia after the Dadaab-Liboi road was cut off have been washed away. I have nothing to cook for my hungry and weather-beaten children."
Abdi Sheikh Mohamed, another displaced community elder, appealed for urgent intervention, describing the situation as appalling. "We were displaced from our homes and forced to relocate to Iskadeq open ground, where we made makeshift houses. Almost 3,500 persons are camping here with no food and facilities such as toilets. A cholera outbreak can occur anytime," warned Mohamed.
This incident comes just four days after Garissa Governor Nathif Jama requested helicopters from the national government to airlift food supplies to several sub-counties where roads were rendered impassable by the ongoing El Nino floods. Two weeks ago, nearly 300 families were displaced in Liboi town after a deluge flooded their homes. The Kenya Red Cross dispatched non-food items to 100 affected households last week, underscoring the continued challenges faced by the residents of the flood-hit region.
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