As the the country awaits the arrival of the Elnino rains the Kenya Red Cross Society has began engaging communities living in flood prone areas such as Budalang’i and Nyando in early action protocols that will enable them mitigate the effects of the floods and any disaster that may come by it.
Due to the close proximity to the Lake, flooding is common calamity within West Kenya Region especially in Counties bordering Lake Victoria such as Kisumu, Busia, Siaya, Homabay and Migori Counties.
Another cause of the flooding is as a result of the lake backflow during the rainy seasons as the areas are in close proximity to the lake hence easily get submerged due to large rivers and their tributaries that feed Lake Victoria for example River Nyando, River Auji, River Miriu and Awach in Kisumu, Rivers Migori, Kuja, Sare, and Oyani in Migori., River Nzoia and river Yala in Siaya and Busia Counties, Rivers Tende, Miriu in Homabay.
The Kenya Red Cross Society for the past two months has been engaging the community members in this flood hotspots through their disaster committees in liaison with the local administration in early warnings preparedness.
A Spot check in the said areas found members patching up their makeshift houses, clearing the trenches and bushes while others had relocated to higher grounds. Through Kenya Red Cross, the local disaster committees and the county government has been made to desilt some areas where the manpower needed supersedes human ability.
Kanyagwa Location chief Boniface Otieno has been working closely with the Kenya Red Cross in engaging residents in early warnings and early preparations towards Elnino
“We have a disaster committee with representatives from all corners of the location. We have held several sessions on how to manage and mitigate effects of the expected Elnino rains”, confirmed Chief Otieno.
In 2019 this areas were hard hit by the floods with places such as Ombaka village in Nyando sub county and Buluani in Budalang’i sub county loosing what was once bare land to the waters.This greatly affected amenities such as hospitals and schools had to be shut down or either relocated.
Another impending societal issue that has continued to bite the communities hard is early pregnancies due to the separation of family units during floods.
Petronila Anyango Oniang’ a resident of Ombaka shares how boys prey on school during floods when community members are confined to camps.
“During such periods the men and women are separated as well as the children making the parents loose touch with their children. It is saddening that children as little as 14 years fall pregnant, said Petronila.”
When floods strike, women are often forced to move having lost their livelihoods while some suffer physical injuries. A situation that is worsened by economic and social inequalities which makes it difficult for them to find adequate shelter, food, and portable water.
Moreover, women are further exposed to challenges in maintaining personal hygiene and sanitation, preventing them from performing their roles.
In addition, they suffer from domestic violence and are subjected to harassment when seeking refuge. Despite the recurring destructions caused by floods, women are still excluded from political, community and household decision-making processes that affect their lives.
Apart from floods there other foreseen dangers such as displacement, waterborne diseases caused by stagnant water as well as loss and damage to property. Through the sensitization sessions, the community members are developing coping measures to mitigate the impact of climate-related disasters, especially floods, by moving to safer grounds ahead of the reported El Niño rains. T
he involvement of women especially at the planning stage has led to a positive behavioral change contrary to the usual norm.
