Experts from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an East African bloc, have stated that El Niño rains are set to begin in the Horn of Africa region, reports Xinhua.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) sounded an alarm following heavy flooding in parts of Somalia, particularly Baidoa in the southwest, and a warning issued by the Kenyan Meteorological Department (KMD) predicting heavy rainfall across numerous regions of Kenya from October this year through January 2024.

In Kenya, it's predicted that the impact of floods could leave more than 2 million people in need of some form of direct assistance. Of this number, around 600,000 are anticipated to be refugees, exacerbating the existing humanitarian crisis in the country, where 4.5 million people are currently facing hunger. However, the Kenya Meteorology Department has scaled down its El-Nino alert. The department had warned of heavy rains from October but President William Ruto says the alert has been scaled down for short rains.

As the El Nino season begins, reports indicate that heavy rains have claimed the lives of five people across the country, prompting authorities to urge the public to exercise extra caution. Various territorial police reported that over the last week, they recovered the bodies of people who died as a result of drowning caused by the constant rain in various districts, reports The Nile Post.

In Rwanda 200 disaster incidents were recorded in September 2023, killing 20 people, according to report by the Ministry in Charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA).

The disaster cases consist of 11 earthquakes, 11 fires, nine floods resulting in five fatalities, one house collapse, four landslides causing the deaths of three individuals, 25 lightning incidents resulting in the loss of 10 lives, 55 rainstorms causing one fatality, four wildfires, and 80 windstorms.

IRC reports that in Somalia, the lack of sufficient funding to address the impacts of El Nino and of preparatory action could exacerbate the strain already placed on the humanitarian system. The 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan for Somalia is currently only 37% funded. In Baidoa, the epicentre of a hunger crisis following the last few years of drought, heavy flooding has already caused significant disruption to the city and poses a risk to the safety and well-being of the residents, particularly people currently living in internally displaced (IDP) camps. -  Edited by Juanita Williams