Two people drowned on Monday night as they tried crossing flooded roads in in Garissa and Hulugho towns following a heavy downpour that lasted for over six hours, leaving a trail of destruction.
Confirming the two incidents, Garissa acting County Commissioner Solomon Chesut said the two bodies were recovered this morning, and the police have taken over the cases.
He said the rains that started at around 7 pm in the evening went on past midnight, destroying homes and shops on the roadsides and collapsing pit latrines on the outskirts of Garissa town and neighboring Madogo and Mororo in Tana River County.
He called on members of the public to stop attempting to cross flooded roads, rivers, and valleys, saying that the enhanced El-Nino rain poses a huge danger to human lives in flood-prone areas.
“I want to appeal to members of the public to move away from flood-prone areas. The enhanced El Nino rains has devastated homes, roads, road networks, and other infrastructure.”
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“Our people should stop sheltering under trees when it’s raining. The trees can fall on them or even be struck by lightning. Let us take all the necessary precautions because the rains will continue for some time,” he said.
He said the main roads of Modiga – Modogashe and Garissa – Dadaab have been completely cut off and motorists plying these routes should avoid them for now.
Chesut appealed to donor agencies and other partners to assist in airlifting food and non-food items to areas cut off due to the ongoing rains.
He singled out the Hulugho sub-county as one of the hardest hit, adding that Hulugho town ‘is almost completely submerged by floods’.
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