Kenya May Go From Drought to Disastrous Flooding

Kenya's short rains normally fall from October to December, and occur during the lesser of two main rainy seasons in East Africa. They can be especially heavy during the afternoon and evening.

The Kenyan Meteorological Society announced that the season of “short rains” has arrived, finally ending the country’s protracted drought.

But the country’s chief meteorologist warned that El Niño will begin to dominate East African weather within a few weeks and possibly unleash disastrous flooding across a region where millions of people are still going hungry due to the drought.

"El Nino is yet to come and the current situation can only get worse," Samuel Mwangi told a regional forum on disaster preparedness.

Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said: "El Nino could create ... extremely serious floods in the Horn of Africa with mudslides, destruction to crops, and illnesses linked to water."

The Red Cross and other agencies are stocking up on medicines, blankets and relief items in anticipation of severe flooding.

Contingency plans were made on how to deliver the supplies to remote areas should flooding wash out roadways.

"It will be a nightmare for Kenyans, especially in areas where there are no roads, because it will be very difficult to access the areas even if you have four by four vehicles," Red Cross secretary general Abbas Gullet told the forum.

Photo: Earthbrowser