NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Rain-swollen water levels at two Kenyan hydroelectric dams are at “historic highs” and people downstream should move away, the Cabinet said Tuesday, and ordered residents of flood-prone areas across the country to evacuate or they’ll be moved by force.
Kenya, along with other parts of East Africa, has been overwhelmed by flooding that killed 66 people on Monday alone and in recent days has blocked a national highway, swamped the main airport and swept a bus off a bridge. More than 150,000 people are displaced and living in dozens of camps.
With seasonal rains forecast to increase, the Cabinet said residents of areas with flooding or landslides in the past, and residents near dams and rivers considered at high risk, will be told by Wednesday to evacuate. Those who don’t will be moved by force.
It was not clear how many people will have to move, or how notifications and evacuations would be carried out on short notice, especially in crowded informal neighborhoods.
NBA playoffs: Edwards leads Wolves to 98
Protests over government's plans to repeal Smokefree legislation in Auckland and at Parliament
Politics updates: Kāinga Ora crackdown, changes to plug
Wilmer Valderrama talks NCIS franchise's 1,000th episode, show's enduring legacy
Student fatally shot, suspect detained at Georgia's Kennesaw State University
China's local virus cases down
Planes collide at Heathrow, no one hurt
Electronic roll crashing on Election Day could have been avoided
Student fatally shot, suspect detained at Georgia's Kennesaw State University
Ukraine lowers conscription age after drop in volunteers to fight Russian invasion