We should trust our weathermen to mitigate disasters

The main entrance to the Standard Group PLC Headquarters along Mombasa Road was marooned by flood waters on May 02, 2024. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

One of the things that has become clear over the past two weeks as rains cause havoc across the country is the importance of the science of meteorology.

The Kenya Meteorological Department, for instance, has never missed its daily and weekly weather forecast, at least for as long as I can remember. 

The data is always tucked somewhere on its website and sometimes on its Twitter handle. We can no longer ignore it. 

Hydrological and meteorological hazards, or simply hydromet hazards, have contributed to 90 percent of disaster losses worldwide. In the year 2023 alone, disasters accounted for over US$250 billion of economic losses and over 70,000 fatalities. 

In Kenya, the losses may not have been quantified, but we are all witnesses to the amount of damage. Lives have been lost, homes and institutions have been destroyed, and transportation has been cut off in various parts of the country. At the very least, billions of shillings will be needed to recover.

Accurate weather prediction is thus a great investment, but only if the weathermen are taken seriously and their data is used appropriately. 

If we trust the weatherman, then it means we will take a series of short-term and long-term disaster measures. In the short-term, we will evacuate those in danger before disaster happens. We may also unclog drainages and acquire equipment for faster disaster response. This is the time when we put on high alert all those helicopters attached to various government institutions at work. 

In this era of digital advancement, we should be able to develop a digital app where emergency alerts are shared quickly.

Most of the disasters that have occurred in Kenya are the result of people who ignored danger alerts and in places where law enforcement agencies were not quick enough to avert them.

In the long term, it is clear that we need to revisit our urban planning notes. Despite the nature of the rains currently experienced, there are a number of residences even in the capital city that have been spared the floods. Unplanned residences in riparian areas have been the worst hit. 

We also have roads and bridges being washed away, while others are able to withstand the pressure of floodwaters. That may signify something worth investigating. Given that forecasters already know that the worst is yet to come, our engineers must apply their knowledge to disaster resilience infrastructure.

In the immediate future, the focus in Kenya should be on preventing further avoidable deaths and losses. Key road agencies have been quite active in closing roads and giving warnings. The media, too, has been quick to pick up the information and relay it to the various audiences. 

However, I feel that there is a need to have a more coordinated approach. Weather forecasting and early warnings must be deliberately amplified.

The writer is anchor at Radio Maisha