Somali refugees in northeastern Kenya have been evacuated to higher ground because of the torrential downpours that have pounded the region, causing what some reports said was the worst flooding in 50 years. Each day the condition deteriorates. More than 100,000 Somali refugees out of the 160,000 living in the Dadaab camps have been displaced.

Food for the Hungry/Kenya has received assessment teams in the flood-stricken Somali refugee camps along the eastern border regions of Kenya. The following are excerpts from a situation report from the Dadaab area.

• The refugees by now had been living in knee- or waist-deep water for one week during which time they had little to eat and many had little sleep for lack of dry ground.
• The continued flooding due to localized rains had seriously hampered all efforts to bring assistance to the affected populations. Service vehicles had been grounded due to flooded engines. Other transportation and equipment necessary for delivering assistance to the people were either swept away by the heavy current or got stuck in the mud.
• The road to Ifo (the largest refugee camp housing 54,000 people) was seriously eroded, with up to a dozen breaches in the road where the force of water had created gaping holes of up to 10 meters across. The relentless floodwaters sweeping through the breaches were making attempts to cross the road increasingly dangerous. Access to all camps is nil.
• The hospital is collapsing, and the staff are experiencing great difficulty reaching the health posts. Taking medicines to the camp is very difficult.
• The general health of the population has deteriorated due to the outbreak of diseases, lack of food and sleep and difficulty in accessing medical care.

Because the roads have been rendered impassable by the floodwaters, supplies have been flown into the affected areas. The situation continues to worsen as the rain continues to fall. The refugees are being forced to leave their homes and abandon their belongings. Food for the Hungry needs your help. Please consider this a great opportunity to meet the urgent needs of Somali refugees. Your donation will go towards creating a safer and healthier environment for hundreds of thousands of Kenyan refugees.