El Niño rains in Kenya have caused devastating flooding and killed over 120 people. Here's what it looks like.
Katie Balevic
- Severe flooding in Kenya has displaced hundreds of people and left over 120 dead.
- The weather event El Niño is impacting the climate patterns, causing temperatures to rise.
Mass flooding in Africa is displacing hundreds of people in Kenya by flooding roads and communities.
The chaotic weather stems from the El Niño Southern Oscillation, a weather event that occurs naturally and irregularly about every two to seven years. It creates a domino-like weather effect impacting areas across the globe with varying rainfall and temperature changes, per the World Health Organization.
In eastern Africa, El Niño typically causes wet conditions, according to the WHO. These photos show the devastating impact that the weather fluctuations can have.
Kenya has felt heavy rains since October.
While October to December is typically a rainy season for Kenya, the rains have been exacerbated by El Niño, leading to devastating flooding.
Kenyan authorities have instructed residents to move to higher ground, prompting many to trek across flooded roads. Many other roads and infrastructure elements have been completely destroyed, complicating rescues, the Associated Press reported in late November.
Rains are expected to continue into January.
Flooding has swept away homes as authorities warn heavy rains will continue into January, Reuters reported. Residents are also expected to experience "prolonged power outages," the AP reported.
"All roads are destroyed. I don't even know where people will go," Joel Ngui, a resident of the Kenyan town of Garissa, told the AP.
The death toll has reached the triple digits.
Reuters reports a death toll of at least 120 people in Kenya, though local reports say its risen to 136, according to Africa News. The outlet reported that some 460,000 people have been displaced.
Neighboring countries of Ethiopia and Somalia have experienced similarly devastating rains. The combined death toll from the three countries is near 300 people, NPR reported last week.
Floods have destroyed roads, farms, and livestock.
Aside from devastating communities, the floodwaters have also destroyed hundreds of acres of farmland and caused hundreds of livestock deaths, according to Al Jazeera.
Aid organizations like the Kenya Red Cross have provided food and medical assistance to those in need.
Residents have been forced to make temporary shelters.
People living along Kenya's largest river, the Tana River, were forced to create makeshift shelters on higher ground after the river burst its banks.
One widow with five children told the AP that her home was carried away by the raging waters.
"I had no one to help me," Marian Ware told the AP. "I was struggling to get my children to safety. When I went back, everything was gone."
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