"Brace for more floods!" State warns residents of Garissa, Tana River counties

Panic grips residents of Garissa and Tana River counties as an advisory notice on an escalation of the already raging floods was released on Sunday.

In the advisory notice, the Water Resources Authority said the situation was likely to worsen as the Kiambere and Masinga dams Seven Forks scheme were reaching full capacity and may overflow anytime.

The notice came as thousands of people were displaced while houses and farmlands were submerged and the road infrastructure was severely damaged after the River Tana burst its banks.

Government service facilities including the Garissa Police Station, Garissa AP Camp, the Government Guest House and Garissa Farmers Training Centre were flooded halting major operations.

Abdullahi Osman, a youth leader in Garissa, said everyone in the town was in panic following the new advisory notice.

He said already Garissa town, Fafi, Masalani and settlements in the neighbouring Tana River county are in a serious humanitarian crisis after the floods reached a level never experienced before causing a massive displacement of locals.

“We are worried about how the situation will be once the dams release volumes of water that will affect communities living downstream," said the youth leader.

In the advisory notice, the Water Resources Authority said the situation was likely to worsen as the Kiambere and Masinga dams Seven Forks scheme were reaching full capacity and may overflow anytime. (Photo: Courtesy)

He said the notice asking residents of the mid and lower Tana basin, parts of Ewaso Ng’iro North basin and the Coastal strip was another disaster in waiting.

Flood alarm threshold

Based on the Water Resources Authority notice, Abdullahi said the water level in Tana River at Garissa has remained above the flood alarm threshold of 4m by more than 2m in the last 24 hours and more additional water will increase the volume resulting in a more disastrous situation.

Garissa Township MP Dekow M Barrow also expressed worries about how the situation will be once the dams release the overflow water.

He said almost half of the town was trapped by the floods and the Mororo-Garissa bridge was at risk of collapsing.

Nominated Member of Parliament Ummulkheir Harun wants President William Ruto to declare the situation a national disaster.

Ummulkheir said the level of disaster was not commensurate to the response the affected were getting from the government and the humanitarian agencies.

In the advisory notice, members of the public were urged to move to higher grounds and approach the river crossing with utmost caution.

They were further advised not to cross the river either on foot or by vehicles.

Residents of Masabubu in Fafi who yesterday appealed for urgent intervention after they were displaced by the River floods, today received food supplies airlifted by the Kenya Red Cross and the area MP Salah Yaqub.

The weather outlook over the next two weeks raises significant concerns.

A substantial low-pressure system originating from the East is anticipated to trigger heavy rainfall and potentially catastrophic floods across Northern and Eastern Kenya.

Weather experts estimate rainfall amounts of 300-400mm in certain areas within the upcoming 10-15 days. Adding to this, a tropical cyclone forming off the coast of Somalia is expected to exacerbate the situation, bringing extreme rainfall to Somalia and North Eastern Kenya upon landfall.

Additional reporting by Abdirahman Khalif