Ruto Orders 48-Hour Evacuation for Kenyans in Flood Zones
President William Ruto’s Cabinet has ordered all Kenyans living in flood-prone areas to evacuate within 48 hours.
The Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning highlighted that the decisions made an impact on all people residing in vulnerable ecosystems.
Areas prone to or already experiencing flooding, mudslides, and landslides, as well as those residing near rivers, should evacuate by Thursday this week.
On Tuesday afternoon in Mai Mahiu, Ruto pledged that the government would assist with the relocation since it had already identified all the impacted areas.
“It is important that ahead of time, we protect the lives of people and that is why we have concluded the mapping of all areas that are in danger so that we can assist citizens to move away in time because the forecast is such that rain will continue for the foreseeable future and there is a lot of precipitation in many places,” he stated.
“People are looking to go back home. Do not be in a rush to return because the government will take care of your needs and we shall send experts to assess the land. If we get assurance of no further disaster occurring, we shall facilitate your return,” he assured the victims.
Last night, Ruto justified his administration’s handling of the flood crisis that has caused over 120 deaths and displaced more than 190,000 people.
“This is not the time for a blame game, we should just address ourselves to the issues, and move with speed to respond. I ask citizens to move away from areas of danger,” the president stated.
According to reports, 71 people have been confirmed dead due to the Kijabe Dam incident in Mai Mahiu, and 91 individuals have been reported missing.
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In an exclusive interview with Kenya Red Cross Emergency Response Manager Anthony Muchiri for the Evening Brief Newsletter, Gossipa2z.com reports that only 69 cases of missing persons have been reported to the non-governmental organization.
He suggested that the economic loss could be significantly greater, as the destruction displaced entire households, including their foundations.
“What you see is it is a whole village cleared off. I am not privy to the structures that were in the village. What I know is houses, even the foundations, have been cleared off the ground,” Muchiri told this writer.
He pointed out that the National Disaster Management Operations Center was coordinating with support agencies as rescue missions progressed. (For more information, check out our weekday newsletter Evening Brief here)
In an earlier interview with the BBC, President William Ruto stated that the county budgets were adaptable to handle emergencies.
“The instruments that have been built into the budget give all governments, at all levels emergency resources. There is always room for any county to adjust their budgets to take care of emergencies,” he noted.
“Every level of government has been built into the budget, that a certain percentage of their budget can be reorganized to meet emergency requirements.”
Ruto Orders 48-Hour Evacuation for Kenyans in Flood Zones