AFP
Kenya on alert before the arrival of the first cyclone in its history
Kenyan President William Ruto on Friday placed his flood-ravaged country on alert and postponed the reopening of schools indefinitely, as the population prepares for the arrival of the very first cyclone in its history. ;More than 350 people have died in torrential rains that have battered East Africa since March and the region is now threatened by a cyclone expected to make landfall this weekend along the ocean coast Indian. “This cyclone, named Hidaya, which could strike any time now, is expected to bring torrential rains, strong winds and powerful and dangerous waves,” President Ruto said at a press conference in Nairobi. “Our country must act quickly and decisively to mitigate the devastating effects of the current crisis and protect lives and property,” he added. The reopening of schools, scheduled for Monday, has been postponed and all ministers have been instructed to coordinate the evacuation and rehousing of impacted Kenyans. Cyclone Hidaya will peak with gusts of 165 km/h when it makes landfall in neighboring Tanzania on Saturday, according to regional climate center ICPAC. Cyclone season in the southwest of the Indian Ocean normally extends from November to April and experiences a dozen storms each year. Tanzanian authorities warned Friday that the meteorological phenomenon called Hidaya “has strengthened to reach cyclone status at “Cyclone Hidaya continued to strengthen, with winds reaching 130 km/h”, they said in a weather forecast. – “No corner spared” -Precipitation in the region was amplified by El Niño, a natural climatic phenomenon generally associated with global warming, which causes droughts in certain parts of the world and rains heavy rains elsewhere. Torrential rains hit many countries in East Africa, causing floods and landslides that destroyed crops, swept away homes and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. The toll since March in Kenya exceeded 200 deaths, the Kenyan Ministry of the Interior announced on Friday. More than 165,000 people have been displaced and around 100 people are missing in the country. “No corner of our country has been spared from this devastation,” President Ruto said. “Unfortunately, we have not seen the end of this dangerous period,” he warned. At least 155 people have died in similar floods in neighboring Tanzania. In pouring rain, rescuers launched a racing against time to help people stranded by floods in Kenya. The Kenya Red Cross has rescued a man who said he was stranded by floodwaters and forced to shelter on a tree for five days in Garissa, in the east of the country, according to images shared on social media on Wednesday. The army also joined relief operations to evacuate all people living in areas impacted by the floods. The government has also ordered Thursday anyone living near large rivers or near 178 “dams or reservoirs filled or almost filled with water” to evacuate the area within 24 hours. – “Flee once from more” -In Burundi, at least 29 people have died and 175 have been injured since the start of the rainy season in September, the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said. Refugees Agency (UNHCR) said it was “particularly concerned” about the fate of thousands of displaced refugees in Burundi, Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania. “(They) are forced to flee once again for their lives After their homes were washed away,” UNHCR spokesperson Olga Sarrado Mur said on Friday. By the end of 2023, torrential rains in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia have already caused the deaths of more than 300 people, in a region which was struggling to recover from the worst drought recorded in 40 years.ho/amu/sba/jt
