Bomet sets up El-Niño command centre

Bomet, 

Wednesday, October 18, 2023,

KNA by Lamech Willy.A.

Bomet County through the department of Disaster Management has developed a contingency plan to aid an emergency response team upon the onset of El-Niño rains expected to begin mid-October to December this year.

Among the emergencies identified in the five sub counties include flooding, landslides, lightning strikes, as well as falling quarries.

Through the department, the county government has rolled out mass education on El-Niño preparedness to ensure safety of its residents.

The county has also set up a command centre to coordinate emergency response during the season.

“We have mobilised a team of emergency response personnel including clinical officers and nurses, purchased food and non-food stuff as well as other volunteers to help us when need arises during the rainy season,” County Chief Officer for Devolution and Special Programmes Eric Cheruiyot said.

In April this year parts of Chepalungu experienced a series of floods that left over 700 families in the cold.

The rains that pounded the area saw mud-walled buildings collapse while the water sunk latrines rendering Bingwa and Siongiroi locations unfit for human occupation.

However the disaster department has come up with mitigation measures to avoid recurrence of the same.

Families residing in these hot spot areas have been cautioned and enlightened to avoid loss of lives and properties.

On the other hand, the government has urged the residents to utilise the rains for agricultural purposes.

Courtesy;KNA