Kenya Sets up Emergency Command Center as Death Toll Hits 120

GOOBJOOG NEWS | NAIROBI: Kenya on Tuesday announced the formation of a command center for flood emergency response as the number of people killed by raging floods reached 120.

Speaking to Journalists in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, Internal Security Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo said a team consisting of 11 ministries and their relevant agencies will provide early warning information, flood alerts, flood preparedness, safety, and emergency response information to stakeholders and the public.

“Saving lives and reducing the impact of the El Nino rains through early warning and disaster monitoring remains the government’s top priority and having every actor and stakeholder working in sync is the surest way of mitigating and responding to the emergency,” Omollo said.

Omollo further said the emergency team has also been tasked to mobilize resources and combine capacities at all levels of government, and cooperate with agencies in national and county governments to better respond to emergencies.

Kenyan authorities said the floods caused by unusually active El Nino rains which are pounding several parts of the East African country had also displaced thousands of people.

Thousands of homes have been washed away or are marooned, while farmland has been submerged and livestock drowned, according to the government and humanitarian agencies.