Hello, My name is Elizabeth Ayali and I live in Nairobi, Kenya. Around 233,000 people have been affected by the floods in Kenya, and more than 116,000 displaced, according to the Kenya Red Cross, after two consecutive seasons of record rains caused rivers across the country to burst their banks, devastating towns and villages. The East African Plateau forces the air upwards, producing general rainfall, and the mountains create the real risk of severe thunderstorms and flash floods. Kenya is particularly prone to landslides caused by heavy rain running off mountain slopes, especially where humans have changed the ecosystem by deforestation. These floods led to severe loss of life (human and livestock) and property, destruction of infrastructure, disruption of the communication networks and large losses to the economy. They were also associated with land degradation (soil erosion), silting of hydropower dams and destruction of power lines. Loss of lives and property: Immediate impacts of flooding include loss of human life, damage to property, destruction of crops, loss of livestock, non-functioning of infrastructure facilities and deterioration of health condition owing to waterborne diseases. Health and developmental impact: In many low lying areas around the mouths of the rivers and natural swamps the inundation lasts for weeks leading to total loss of crops. The worst affected are the poor who inhabit the flood plains and riverine lands to eke out a meager living from agriculture, livestock farming and fisheries. Because of poverty, lack of education and poor rural infrastructure, they are the most vulnerable to floods and post-flood consequences. The floods severely limit and hamper the developmental process, further increasing the vulnerability of the rural society and thereby perpetuating and increasing the incidence of poverty. Stagnant floodwater also causes vector borne diseases, which result in high incidence of morbidity with consequent loss of alternative employment opportunities. 10 measures that must be taken to prevent more flooding in the future Introduce better flood warning systems. Modify homes and businesses to help them withstand floods. Construct buildings above flood levels. Tackle climate change. Increase spending on flood defenses. Protect wetlands and introduce plant trees strategically. Through this program, decarbonize, I am able to learn how the Earth is affected by our actions. I hope in the future, we are able to help our countries, people and planet.

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