The Finnish Red Cross is sending two mobile clinics and two aid workers to assist the Kenya Red Cross Society as the flood situation escalates. A large part of Kenya has suffered from exceptionally heavy rains and floods on the Tana River.
The aim of the mobile clinics provided by the Finnish Red Cross is to improve the availability of health services in Madogo – one of the most severely affected areas in the country.
In addition, aid is being provided for acquiring medication. One mobile clinic can offer treatment for approximately 50–100 people per day.
The cost of the aid is covered through the Disaster Relief Fund of the Finnish Red Cross. Experienced health care aid workers will help the clinics to start operations.
On 1 May, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched a 4.7 million Swiss francs (€3.9 million) emergency appeal to support the Kenya Red Cross Society.
The aim is to deliver aid to 150,000 people in 15 counties, where people are in urgent need of basic supplies, shelter, food, clean water, toilets and health services.
Rainfall was exceptionally high in Central Kenya in March and April, which has caused the Tana River to flood. The floods have left over 260,000 people displaced from their homes, and approximately 100 people are reported dead (4 May 2018). The Tana River, Turkana, Mandera and Kilifi counties are among the most severely affected areas.
Heavy rain is expected to continue at least for a couple of months. Besides destroying homes, agricultural lands, livestock and other livelihoods, the floods have demolished roads, schools, health centres and water supply points in the area.
The destruction of water and sanitation systems, lack of clean water and poor accessibility to health services increase the risk of epidemics such as diarrhoea diseases and cholera, whereas heavy rainfall increases the risk of malaria and dengue fever, for example. The Kenya Red Cross Society assesses the situation daily in cooperation with other operators.
The Kenya Red Cross Society has already:
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established temporary shelters for people who have lost their homes
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provided food and clean water and water purification tablets
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endeavoured to build toilets
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searched for and evacuated people