Eastern Africa: El Niño Floods Impact Snapshot (May 2024)

OVERVIEW

The impact of El Niño-induced heavy rains and flooding during the long rainy season (March-May) have been devastating across the Eastern Africa Region. Torrential rains and flooding (both riverine and flash floods) in Burundi, Kenya, Somalia, Rwanda, Tanzania and other parts of East Africa have resulted in the loss of lives, displacement and destruction. As of 3 May, the region was also bracing for the potential impact of Cyclone Hidaya in the coastal areas of Kenya and Tanzania.

Heavy rains and flooding affected nearly 205,000 people in Kenya, 179,000 in Burundi, 127,000 in Somalia and over 125,670 in Tanzania. The floods have also displaced 194,305 people in Kenya, 31,200 in Burundi and 8,376 in Somalia and left scores of casualties in Nyanza and Burera districts in Rwanda. The heavy rains and floods have also damaged infrastructure, including houses, schools and destroyed crops and farmlands as well as diminished access to water and sanitation while increasing the risk of diseases such as cholera.

Governments and humanitarian partners are working closely to conduct search and rescue as well as provide life-saving assistance in the affected countries. In Burundi, a flood response plan seeking $25.3 million is being finalized and will target 306,000 people vulnerable due to rising levels of Tanganyika Lake. Some 2,500 people received assistance. Response efforts and pre-positioning of stocks are ongoing. In Kenya, vital support was provided to nearly 127,000 affected people. More than 120 displacement sites have been established. In Somalia, the Humanitarian Coordinator launched a $3 million Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF) Anticipatory Action allocation to mitigate the impact of the Gu rains and flooding. Humanitarian partners pre-positioned supplies in the 22 hotspot districts to meet the needs of 770,000 people prone to flooding. In Rwanda, the Government and humanitarian partners are supporting evacuation efforts. Public awareness messages continue to be disseminated via different media channels. In Tanzania, the Government and humanitarian partners deployed teams to Rufiji and Kibiti districts to conduct search and rescue and provide life-saving aid. Over 2,880 people received assistance in five camps.

Accessing some of the affected areas continues to be a challenge as some main roads have also been cut off or closed. In addition, the persistent heavy rains and flooding are also disrupting efforts to reach some of the people in flood-affected areas. Lack of resources is also hindering partners’ ability to respond to scale.