Despite the raging floods in parts of Kisumu County, some of the evacuation centres cannot be used given that they are schools that are currently ongoing; hence, stakeholders have been urged to identify other evacuation centres. Kisumu West Sub Country Administrator Maurice Oricho, however, assured residents that other evacuation centres have been identified, including churches, and that the County Government of Kisumu has taken adequate steps to ensure that the floods do not disrupt the lives of the residents. ‘We have identified and mapped out the places and areas that are prone to flooding and where the floods have been destroying property; hence, it’s our appeal to our people to just be on alert and heed the calls to move to safer and higher grounds at the evacuation centres to prevent loss and disaster,’ urged Oricho. He noted that they have been meeting various stakeholders, including representatives of the national government and humanitarian aid organisations, in readiness for any eventuality. ‘We ha
ve restructured the county disaster management committee to ensure it’s capable of adequately responding in situations of disaster to cushion our people from the havoc of floods,’ noted Oricho. He at the same time noted that the various organisations that respond to disasters were on high alert in the county, including the Red Cross, World Vision, UNICEF, and Plan International, and they are currently assessing their capability to respond in case of an emergency. Oricho further disclosed that the county has also embarked on the desilting of the local rivers to evade the menace of flooding. ‘We have desilted the rivers that are prone to flooding and increased their depths so their water carrying capacity is greatly increased, and we have also put all our committees on high alert to respond to any cases of flood attacks,’ added Oricho.

Source: Kenya News Agency