East African floods leave more than 250 dead
The death toll from catastrophic floods that have hit East Africa has risen to more than 250, aid workers said today as rains continued to pound the impoverished region.
Floods have hit Kenya, Somalia, Rwanda and Ethiopia with tens of thousands of people forces to flee their homes, aid agencies said.
Disease from poor sanitation is also taking its toll.
Thousands remain cut off and trucks laden with food and medicines are stranded and unable to reach many survivors, according to the UN’s food agency.
The floods in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia have affected 1.8 million people, according the UN’s refugee agency.
Weather experts are warning the rains could continue through December.
East Africa is one of the poorest regions in the world where most people live on less than one US dollar a day. It is home to more than 200 million people and an area synonymous with droughts and famine. Experts say a long drought that hit the region has left the soil so dry it is unable to absorb the heavy rains.
