The death toll from floods in Kenya has risen dramatically

On Sunday, the Kenyan authorities announced a new rise in the death toll from the weeks-long floods, warning that there is no prospect of the crisis abating anytime soon.
The authorities said that the death toll had risen to 228 people.
While Kenya and its neighbor, Tanzania, escaped serious damage as a result of the threat of Tropical Cyclone “Hadaya” having passed after it made landfall yesterday, Saturday, the government in the capital, Nairobi, said that Kenya is still witnessing heavy rains and the risk of more floods and landslides.
In western Kenya, the Nyando River overflowed in the early hours of Sunday morning, submerging a police station, a school, a hospital and a market in the town of Ahero in Kisumu County, according to police.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, but local police said water levels were still rising and the main bridge outside Kisumu on the highway to Nairobi was flooded.
There was complete chaos in many parts of East Africa following weeks of heavy monsoon rains, exacerbated by the El Niño climate phenomenon.
This natural climate phenomenon generally associated with global warming causes drought in certain parts of the world and heavy rains elsewhere.
Since last March, about 400 people have been killed in East Africa and tens of thousands have been displaced as a result of heavy rains that caused floods and landslides that destroyed crops and swept away homes.
Kenyan government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said Sunday in a press conference about the crisis, “It is a dangerous situation and we should not take it lightly.”
72 people are still missing in Kenya, according to official figures.
More than 212,000 people were displaced, including many who were evacuated “forcibly or voluntarily,” according to Mwaura.
The Kenyan government ordered all residents near large rivers or dams to leave their areas or undergo a “mandatory evacuation for their safety” in light of the risk of flooding of several dams and reservoirs.
Mwaura also warned of the risk of the spread of water-borne diseases, after one case of cholera and several cases of diarrhea were reported.