Weatherman warns of heavy rains in Nakuru
Heavy rainfall advisory by the Kenya Meteorological department.
The Kenya Meteorological Department (Met) has warned that heavy rains are expected throughout the month.
According to Met, the rains are expected to continue into June. Nakuru has been mentioned as one of the places that will experience the heavy rainfall.
"Heavy rainfall of more than 30mm in 24 hours is expected over several parts of the country including the Lake Basin, Rift Valley and East of the Rift Valley including Nairobi area. The heavy rainfall is likely to intensify to more than 40mm. The heavy rainfall is likely to be accompanied by gusty winds," read part of the statement.
"Residents in all the above areas are advised to be on the lookout for possible flooding and flash flooding. Residents are advised to avoid driving or walking in moving water or open fields, and to avoid sheltering under trees and near screened windows to minimise exposure to lightning. Gusty winds can blow off roofs, uproot trees and cause structural damage."
Last year, the Nakuru County government put in place measures to ensure the safety of its residents during the heavy rains.
"One of our strategies is to map and identify roads that are prone to landslides or flooding. For such roads, the process of cleaning them up and rehabilitating the drainage to ensure that rainwater has a clear path is still underway. We are also looking at providing alternative routes on various roads such as the Subukia-Nyahururu highway to ensure that people's lives and livelihoods are not affected," Dr Mwaura said in an earlier interview.
The biggest challenge the county faces in constructing and rehabilitating the waterways is the fact that people have settled close to them, with some Nakuru residents even obstructing them.
The county government had also mapped and identified hotspots prone to landslides and flooding, most of which are informal settlements such as Dondori, Mwariki, Rhonda and Subukia.