East Africa Floods - 100+ Drowned - Thousands Displaced

If this is considered political then it can be moved, but I would like to advise readers of the suffering currently happening with extraordinary rain, flooding and burst dams in Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi particularly.

A damn burst and swept away a village as they slept, drowning over 50 in one go. Bodies mixed up with trees and debris.

WARNING: Distressing footage.



The Kenyan govt has strictly banned people driving through the floods or using boats to ferry people across after a boat with around 50 on board sank and everyone was swept away. So far they have only found 4 bodies. WARNING: Distressing footage.



One of my Kenyan comrades and her 2 kids are sleeping in the school at the moment. On the floor with hundreds of others. She sent me photos and videos of the situation because otherwise I wouldn't have known. And that is why I report it here so more people are aware of what is happening around the world, with the likelihood being it is the result of climate change.

If it gets a bit windy in Chicago, or if it's chilly with snow in New York, we get to see and hear all about it on the news. Almost always with footage and live updates. But for these countries - nothing.

 

Are all the animals ok?

 

We’ve destroyed the planet. Simple as. It’s heartbreaking.

Hardly any political parties will do anything. They’re all only obsessed with the now.

The odious Sunak took over full of good intentions about the environment, but soon made u-turns when he realised it might cost votes (although it’s difficult to imagine anybody wanting to vote for him regardless). The nonsensical Scottish leader did the same, and it’s cost him his job.

They all speak a good game about climate change until they realise it might cost money to do something.

Shame on them all.

I feel so very sad for today’s young generation. Their parents and grandparents stood back and did practically nothing, leaving them to inherit a destroyed planet full of destroyed nature and extreme weather patterns.

 

I have also been sent photos from a comrade in Mai Mahiu near Nairobi where the dam burst.

One photo of her neighbour's destroyed house and another of 2 bodies laid out. Many more are missing including 2 of her cousins. I will not post the photos here and you can take my word they are horrible.

The Dam was a half-arse affair apparently. Thrown up by the Brits in the colonial days when we were building a railway.

Government aid (food) just started arriving yesterday, otherwise it is the Kenyan red cross who have done the work. I wonder if the British will get the troops they have posted there to help? I hope so. It'll give them something to do rather than raping and murdering the local women.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/09/06/batuk-british-soldiers-kenya-wanjiru-murder/

 

Whilst undoubtedly exacerbated by climate change this a regular phenomena in East Africa, when El Nino coincides with warm waters in the Indian Ocean (~every 3rd cycle) we get mental rain and unfortunately many many souls perish.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-023-00397-x
Drivers and impacts of Eastern African rainfall variability | Nature Reviews Earth & Environment

To Clive's point about the lack of reporting of reporting and general indifference and inertia, i'd suggest more cultural than political. it always has been so and always will be...

It is a horrific situation with countless dead and tens of thousands homeless, with more rain to come. I don't pray, but if I did I would now...

 

Thanks for this @Mavu
In your opinion do you think deforestation is a contributor as well ?

 

The planet will be fine once the human species has departed.

 

It was widely reported and the BBC had a reporter (Barbara Plett Usher) in the village interviewing residents within hours. When I saw it I wondered how she got there so quickly. She’s updated her report since.

But I agree the coverage isn’t the same. UK news doesn’t stick with events beyond Europe and the US.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-68896456

 

There is something in this .
If you look at the Earth as a living organism then eventually it will
realise something is making it "ill" and have a re-boot .

 

Undoubtedly so, driving changes to rainfall patterns and more importantly causing far more destructive surface run off.

And then the impact of flood waters worsened by poor building practices, lack of planning & regs etc etc

And the goats, bloody hate goats.

 

Gaia will always triumph

 

That's the problem with democracy. Everything is geared towards getting re-elected in 4-5 years by giving the voting population what we want. None of us want our lives impacted by any actions over climate change so none are taken, just a few plans to do something by 25 years time by which time the politicians will have moved on and the goalposts can be changed. It's not the politicians fault, Tory or labour, it's our fault.

 

Reports that it was actually caused by lack of routine maintenance of a railway gulley upstream of the reservoir, when that burst it inundated the reservoir which then failed.

Revealed: Inside man-made gulley near railway that caused Maai Mahiu tragedy | Nation

 

Yes, I have read that now. Early reports said it was a dam but it looks like it was this drainage tunnel at fault.



The govt of William Ruto seems to be pretty hopeless. Food aid has arrived at last but, my correspondents tell me:-

"Yes at least but the donations are going to the wrong people,who are not affected, every thing is corrupted here"

 

I was surprised because I didn't see or hear anything on the news at all.

I looked at the Guardian website - nothing. Not even in the world news section, unless you click it out to expand it to the full list of stories and then it was about 10th.

I looked at the BBC website. Nothing. Not in the 20 or 30 headlines listed on their front page. Not unless you searched for Kenya or Africa did their article appear.

I looked at the daily mail website - nothing. Not even in their long 'news' section expanded. A couple of articles come up when you search, but both just regurgitated Press Association ones. They couldn't even be bothered to have a hack jot down a couple of lines about it. As I say, 2 inches of snow in New York would be on the front page under a headline like WHITE TERROR HELL!

How many times have the abuses of the British Army in Kenya been reported? The murder and abuse of locals. Amazingly, under a treaty, the squaddies are untouchable in law, unless the British government agrees. So they just run amok. They beat and murdered a 21 year old mum and dumped her body in a septic tank. Then they laughed about it between themselves on one of their jolly japes military message boards.

Well I know human lives don't count for so much, so how about our gallant khaki heroes accidentally destroying 100,000 acres of beautiful wildlife reservation and countless cuddly animals whilst letting off white phosphorus bombs. The internationally banned stuff, yeah.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/09/06/batuk-british-soldiers-kenya-wanjiru-murder/

 

*Looks at today's weather* Yes, but it's lovely and dry where I am so climate change can't be a thing. I also remember it being very dry in 2022 and 1976.

 

Heavy rain is forecast in London and the south east this afternoon and through the night

 

Surprised it hasn't been mentioned more widely .........given the number of holidays it could absolutely ruin for us brits.

 

Thing is, we haven't. The planet will be fine.

It has never been about saving the planet, it has been about saving ourselves, our children, and countless future generations. The message has been wrong ever since I can remember.

 

It was high up on the BBC website when first reported but, as @Moose said, slipped off quickly.

 

I guess it depends what you mean by "the planet will be fine". It will still be here but it will be covered in concrete, and ice-free ! But yes the issue for us as a species is whether it will be a pleasant habitable environment for us, primarily, but also other wildlife (though most concern about wildlife seems to revolve around our disappointment at not being able to see it, rather than concern for the wildlife itself)

 

None of these are problems for the planet, though.

This is an existential threat to us. If we screw it up, we're the ones who'll bear the brunt. If taken to the worst possible case scenario, we'll wipe ourselves out.

The planet will move on if that happens, and new life will take over/evolve. I'd like to think we're smart enough and aware enough to not get to that point, but thus far I've been continually disappointed.

 

Again it depends what you mean by “problems for the planet”. For example the irreversible die back of the entire Amazon causing the extinction of its wildlife and increasing co2 isn’t a “problem for the planet” but it wouldn’t just be a problem for humans. Are you saying the planet will fine as long as it exists and there is some form of life on it ?
https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/po...cted to climb permanently,very soon after [6].

 

Yep.

 

That's it .
We can't destroy the planet
The planet will destroy us first

 

This bit made the beeb front page Clive...

Kenya floods: Tourists and staff stranded in Maasai Mara game reserve - BBC News

 

This is not to say that we shouldn't care or do anything about our Oceans being turned into a plastic soup however we are overdue several natural disasters which are a form of an Earth reboot . Is our behaviour in how we treat the Earth accelerating our eventual demise ?
Doomsday sermon over and out !!

 

"There are also fears that some animals might have been swept away by the raging floods."

Oh noooooooooooo!

Brits AND cuddly animals in danger.

I can see this story moving up the pages.....TOURIST BRITS TRAPPED IN AFRICAN HELL TERROR! Fly them home now demands PM.

 

Well, I suspect we’re not talking about “cuddly” animals.

 

Even those that used to be "cuddly" are now likely to be wet and absolutely filthy and not worth worrying about.

 

Hakuna matata

 

Via Rwanda?