Death toll rises to three, with hundreds displaced in Mandera County

 Death toll rises to three with over 2,000 households  affected by floods in Mandera. School re-opening will also be disrupted as hundreds have been displaced by the raging floods.(Courtesy)

MANDERA—The death toll has risen to three, with over 2,000 households being affected by floods in Mandera County as a result of the ongoing heavy rains that have pounded the county for three weeks now.

According to a chief officer in Mandera Mr. Adawa Haji Ahmed, Elwak town remains the most affected area with 1,500 households submerged in water rendering the locals homeless.

“We just concluded assessing the situation in Mandera South and Elwak is leading with other areas like Golicha, Fincharo, Borehole11 and Bula-afya also suffering,” said Mr Ahmed.

He confirmed that a team from the department of Roads and Public works are on the ground for emergency intervention in the most flooded areas.

Mr Ahmed noted that supply of relief aid is underway to the affected people who were now residing in camps.

“We shall be dispatching food and non-food items including mosquito nets, mattresses, among other things to these areas,” he said.

He urged locals living along the river banks in Mandera to move to safer grounds early enough as River Dawa in Ethiopia had burst its banks.

“Heavy rains in the Ethiopian highlands are causing the river to flood on our side and we are appealing to those near to move to avoid a disaster,” he said.

A week earlier, two children were washed away by raging floods in Mandera town.

One body was recovered and the search is still on for the second body believed to have been washed into a swollen River Daua.

Farmers in Mandera County are also counting huge losses after flood waters washed away their farms.

Two weeks ago, six people were injured in the floods that continue to wreak havoc in Mandera County, rendering roads impassable.

Schools in Mandera and its environs will not reopen this week as hundreds of residents in Rhamu, Mandera county and cut off roads have been displaced.