Kenya and Tanzania were on alert on Saturday for a cyclone heading towards their Indian Ocean coastlines, threatening to pile on more misery after deadly floods ravaging the region.
About 400 people have lost their lives in East Africa and tens of thousands have been uprooted from their homes in recent weeks as torrential rains triggered flooding and landslides engulfed houses, roads and bridges.
Kenyan President William Ruto on Friday described the weather outlook as “dire” and postponed the reopening of schools indefinitely as the nation braced for its first-ever cyclone.
Tropical Cyclone Hidaya is projected to make landfall at the weekend on the Kenyan and Tanzanian coasts.
Ruto said the storm “is predicted to cause torrential rain, strong winds and powerful and dangerous waves”.
Around 210 people have died in Kenya from flood-related incidents and nearly 100 are missing while 165,000 have been forced to flee their homes, according to government data.
“No corner of…
Source: Guardian Newspaper
