Author
Reference
Benard.,
L., (2015): How to localise floods prevention and safety
in Kenyan homes. Intel
Fire Group of Companies Blog. Nairobi, Kenya.
 |
| House after devastating floods |
How to Localise Floods Prevention and Safety in Kenyan homes
Many scholars all over the globe have
studied floods, flooding and its implications in social setting. Some of these
studies have been done in Kenya especially during the worst flooding the
country experienced in 1997/98 in which about 300, 000 households were displaced
mainly from the rural areas. This time round the news reporting seems to be
concentrated in major towns like Nairobi and Mombasa where flooding has caused devastating
effects to families with nowhere to turn to. The floods reporting seems to
indicate that the problems at the rural areas were solved and now the problem
shifts to the major towns where there is more pressure resulting from overpopulation
and natural environmental degradation. For those who have been in Kenya at this
time of the year will attest to it that floods have affected many town and city
dwellers lives. A local radio station even gave a chance to its listeners to
suggest new names for the various estates and the suggested names varied from
South C to “South Sea”, from South B to “South Beach”, from Westlands to “Wetlands”,
from Umoja to “Umaji” and many others. To prepare for any eventualities the
Nairobi resident in any of the above estates should focus on the following:
1. Establish an Emergency Flood Kit
For a typical Kenyan in any of the
estates above and any major town like Mombasa that is experiencing floods, it is
important to have an emergency kit which would be any ready to move package
containing your most important documents. Your most important documents would
range from your personal identification documents unless it is in your nature
to go bed with these documents, also include a set of clothing in case you will
be evacuated and need a set of cloths to change and again this kit should also
contain your medication if undergoing through treatment.
2. Visit the Meteorological Website for Update Information
At this point in time many Kenyans are
online and the average Kenyan can at least once in a day accesses the internet.
Make it a habit during the flooding period to visit the Kenyan meteorological
department as the current local TV stations only broadcast disasters but not
their projections. Only if the local stations made it a habit to have a
dedicated Weather broadcaster like it used to be in the 1990s then the populous
would have been alerted before the flooding disaster strike. The website www.meteo.go.ke gives the daily, five-day,
seven-day, monthly and seasonal forecasts. The weatherman in most instances
does not lie in their projections and collaborating with other world forecast
bodies would give a projection that will guide your stay within your estate
without fear of floods.
| Part of a house is demolished by raging floods |
3. Emergency Contact Numbers
Any emergency irrespective of the nature
and type cannot be predicted to the exact time and location. It is therefore
important to arm yourself with a list of telephone numbers that includes the
nearest police station, closes family members, the disaster management
operation center, the Intel Fire Group. The following phone numbers in Kenya
will therefore be very important:
The Kenya Police
Emergency - 999
The Kenya Police
Hotline -
020 272
4154 / 020 355 6771
Safaricom Emergency Reporting – 112
The Kenya Red Cross-
395 (From Safaricom line)
Intel Fire Group - 0733 386633
Every resident of a given estate should strive to
know the emergency contact numbers of their nearest police station and an
emergency rescue department.
4.
Minimize Damage by moving valuables to higher ground
This will apply so well if your house has an
upstairs and if not then ask a neighbour in an upper floor to help you keep
your most valuable items like electrical. These keeping in mind that some of
these items are kept in waterproof materials such as polythene. The Nyumba Kumi initiative comes in handy at
this point as you already know your neighbour and will not seeking to establish
a rapport during the flood period. If you have never bothered to know your
neighbour then this will be the starting point.
5.
Know history of your estate
Some would ask the importance of knowing where you
rent a house, a flat, a room , a residential or any other names you call it. The
land dealers would tell you that in Kenya the right time to buy land especially
when in isolation is during rainy season as it would tell you the kind of
environment. The housing agents would also tell you that if you are not getting
a house in palatial estate then the right time would be during rainy season and
no wonder most relocations happen about this period of the year. No conclusive
research has been undertaken on these general theories in Kenya but they are
substantial common beliefs. Have a general knowledge about the estate in terms
of flooding, crime, and infrastructure status before moving to your new
address.
In conclusion, these suggestions have not been
proven by any study as the basic clerical steps in flood prevention but are scholarly
relational studies by the author localised to the Kenyan environment to help
those seeking basic solutions on flood prevention at the home level.
The Author is a Research Generalist in Projects Management Specializing
in Safety Service Delivery
No comments:
Post a Comment