Relieving the Suffering of Flooding Survivors

In humanitarian emergencies, time is one of the most critical factors in reaching vulnerable people with essential services. Within 24 hours, Medair's Global Emergency Response Team (G-ERT) was deployed following an alert. Since the start of the rainy season, more than 300,000 people have been affected by heavy rains that have caused flash floods and landslides in many parts of Kenya. Nairobi and Nakuru County are among the worst affected areas. This story takes us to the slums of Nairobi and Maai Mahiu in Nakuru, where many people lost their lives and livelihoods in the floods. In the aftermath of one of the country's worst natural disasters, Medair's emergency response is bringing new hope to flood survivors who need it most.  

“I was in the bedroom with my seven-year-old granddaughter”, shares Ruth as we meet her at the ruins of her house in Maai Mahiu. “At around 3 am I heard a loud sound, and I thought it was an earthquake or so. When I left the bed coming to the living room, I saw water floating with trees and many other things. The water came with a force that cannot even be explained. I managed to keep the door shut so that me and my granddaughter were not swept away immediately. After a few minutes, being in the bedroom, I heard that the living room collapsed due to the flooding water. More and more water came into the bedroom and forced us into the corner of the room. I thought this would be the end of us. But God was good to us. The water almost covered us all. But neighbours knew that I was old and with my granddaughter in the house. So, they came and rescued us. I was injured but alive. My granddaughter too. But other neighbours died here. One boy went with the water who just finished school. Next to us, two people died in the water. In the last house on the road, eight people out of a family of ten died in the water. I just thank God that we have survived.”

On 29 April, Ruth's community in Maai Mahiu was inundated during the night after a dam burst during heavy rains, catching families as they slept. The community, which has never experienced flooding or other natural disasters like this, is still in shock. The village was literally swept away. Huge boulders, trees, and mud cover the place as Medair's emergency response team arrives for an assessment. Team Leader Damon could hardly believe what he saw:  

“I am deeply saddened by the suffering. Lives and houses have been washed away by the water in an instant. Survivors are grieving and are at the same time in a desperate economic situation. I encountered a man who lost two children in the flood, and on Tuesday his wife died of shock. A chasm, a pit, a hole has opened in their minds and hearts. Our mission now is to stand in the gap, by providing their basic needs and giving them space to process all that has happened. For many, the time and space will be restorative, and their self-determination will return.”

While local authorities, NGOs, and many volunteers have formed strong networks and partnerships to address the immediate needs of the population, the aftermath of this disaster is simply too severe for any one community to handle alone.

During the needs assessment in Nairobi and Maai Mahiu, Medair's team identified critical gaps in financial and psychosocial support for survivors and decided to focus the emergency response on these areas.

500 of the most vulnerable and severely affected people were targeted for multi-purpose cash assistance. This type of assistance is designed to provide a flexible response to basic needs in a humanitarian response. Because it is "multi-purpose", it provides the simplest and most direct method of addressing the multiple needs of a crisis-affected community. People receive a payment and can individually choose what to buy with it. Elderly survivors and large single-parent families have been targeted as the most vulnerable. 

Our dedicated team in the Nairobi office, who usually support Medair's activities in other countries remotely, was involved in the emergency response, helping to verify target households to ensure that Medair was reaching the right and most vulnerable people with cash assistance. Joined by many local Medair alumni who had worked with Medair years earlier, volunteers called hundreds of people to verify their identities for payments. A one-time grant of 10,000 Kenyan shillings (approximately US$77) is a small amount that can go a long way in helping flood survivors buy what they need most.

A few days after the money transfer, we met Ruth in her new home in Maai Mahiu which she got assigned by the local authorities. For three months, she can stay for free. Then she must pay the rent.

“I was sitting on the floor when I received the message on my phone that you had sent me the money. Tears of happiness flew from my eyes. I bought a cabinet. I decided to get this so I can store houseware inside. Before everything was just lying around on the floor. By the time I was working when I was younger, from my first salary I decided to buy a cabinet like this. It meant a lot to me. But it was swept away in the floods. To forget and start new I wanted to buy a new cabinet so I could forget how it was swept away. It makes me happy.”

In Nairobi's Mathare slum, Medair's cash assistance helped people like Monica. She lost her home and business in the floods, and Medair's cash assistance helped her start over.

“The money helped me to rent this kiosk and to buy a stock of vegetables that I could sell. I have done this job for the last 52 years and brought up all my children with this. This is my livelihood so I can continue to live. Before the flooding, this was what I was doing. But everything was washed away. But I decided to start again because of my experience with this job. After I was displaced, I went to an IDP Camp in a vocational centre close by. When help and money came from Medair I rented this kiosk and house and now I am sharing the house with another person. I did not have any housewares, but the other person had. We are sharing the cost of the rent now. And I rented the kiosk outside and bought some food. Live has been very challenging in the past weeks after the flooding. Not just I but also my former customers got displaced. Therefore, they do not know this new place now. I have not many customers here now and I sell less until all the customers know where I have moved to. I am very grateful for your support. I can start living again thanks to your support. Without you, I could not be in this house.”

While the money is being sent to hundreds of vulnerable households to help them rebuild their lives after the floods, Medair's MHPSS Advisor Luther is training three groups in psychological first aid in Maai Mahiu and the Mathare and Kibera slums of Nairobi. From his experience, he knows why this is such an important support for flood survivors:  

“Floods affect people in different ways. Here, people lost their livelihoods and loved ones, they are stressed up, afraid, and anxious. This Psychological First Aid (PFA) Training helps restore hope by helping them learn how to cope. PFA is meant to equip people to support themselves and others through problem-solving. After this training we expect the participants to know how to communicate with those people being affected by such a crisis. And they will be able to look out for what people might be going through. What are the most urgent needs? How to communicate with them and how to link them to services. In most cases, after disasters, there are no specialists immediately on the ground, in communities often there are no qualified people to offer that training. In the future, if a disaster happens again, those who we train will be able to help and train others who are affected by the disaster. Our groups here have been very happy to learn, I can tell this from their response to the training and their engagement. They will be able to pass the knowledge now to other people.”

A flood survivor himself, Peter was nominated by his community to attend the PFA training so that he could share his newfound knowledge with other survivors to help them recover. After the training, he feels confident with his new knowledge:  

“In this training, I had good learning. Like how to approach traumatized people and victims of disasters. By now I can say that I can provide PFA after a disaster. That is what I have learned and how to safely approach myself so that I am also able to strengthen myself to cope with the effects of the psychosocial support I am giving. We are not used to these disasters. Flooding in Nairobi, it is the first case I can remember. But now, we understand that anything can happen everywhere. So, we must be prepared psychologically. Some of us died in the floods. Even some of my neighbours. People got injured and lost their houses. We are now more prepared psychologically. I am very happy and thankful for Medair. I did not know you before the flooding. Now, I know there is an NGO called Medair supporting people in need. We are very thankful for the help that you gave us and for preparing us psychologically for possible future disasters."

Our team has seen a lot since we arrived in Nairobi and Maai Mahiu. Tragedy, devastation, loss, but also hope and faith that better days will come again. Medair's emergency response is helping to fill some of the most urgent gaps. But there is still a long way to go for communities to recover from this disaster and trauma.

Medair's flood response in Kenya still needs your support. Please act now. Your donation will make a big difference for flood survivors like Ruth, Monica, and Peter, who you met in this story.

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This content was produced with resources gathered by Medair’s programme and headquarters staff. The views expressed herein are those solely of Medair and should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of any other organisation.