Kenya and Tanzania are preparing to receive a hurricane "gifts" Amid fears of devastating floods
Nairobi, 4th May / WAM / The Kenya Meteorological Department warned that the effects of Tropical Cyclone “Hadaya” appeared off the coast, with wind speeds exceeding 75 kilometers per hour and waves exceeding two metres, with heavy rains expected to fall along the coasts of the Indian Ocean starting tomorrow, Sunday. It will intensify over the next two days.
She added, “Current observations indicate that Tropical Cyclone Hadiya has made landfall on the Tanzanian coast. However, another depression is developing.”
Kenyan President William Ruto described the country’s meteorological forecasts as “terrible” and postponed indefinitely the reopening of schools that was scheduled for Monday.
Ruto said that the cyclone “will cause heavy rains, strong winds, and strong and dangerous waves.”
For its part, the Tanzanian Meteorological Authority confirmed strong winds and heavy rain along the coast at night.
She explained that in the Mtwara region, 75.5 mm of rain fell within 12 hours, while the average rainfall in May is 54 mm.
The Tanzania Meteorological Authority asked residents living in danger zones and marine workers to take “maximum precautions.”
Cyclone Hadiya will reach its peak with winds of 165 kilometers per hour, according to the Regional Climate Center.
Since March, at least 210 people have been killed in Kenya, about 100 are missing, and 165,000 people have been displaced, according to government figures.
On Thursday, the Ministry of Interior ordered people residing near large rivers or near 178 “fully or partially filled dams or reservoirs” to stay away from the area within 24 hours.
At least 155 people died in Tanzania due to floods and landslides that destroyed crops and swept away homes.
The East African region is highly vulnerable to climate change, and its rainfall has worsened this year due to the natural climate phenomenon El Niño, which is usually associated with global warming and causing drought in some parts of the world and heavy rains in other places.
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