NAIROBI, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Kenya announced on Monday that it has stepped up nationwide measures to counter potential El Nino impacts, with peak weather risks expected from September through December.
The Ministry of Interior and National Administration released a response plan targeting 18 high-risk counties ahead of anticipated El Nino impacts.
"As part of a wider plan to mitigate the effects of the El Nino, the government has mapped out areas exposed to various risks, including flash floods, landslides, drought, disease outbreaks and infrastructure damage," the ministry said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
The Kenya Meteorological Department has warned that the country may experience above-normal rainfall from October as a strong El Nino pattern develops.
According to the interior ministry, a national risk assessment by the National Disaster Operation Center identifies counties in the coastal, western and northern regions as the most vulnerable, while the urban centers of Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu have also been singled out as high-risk areas.
"The National Emergency Multi-Agency and County Emergency Response teams have been put on high alert and are being sensitized on their roles in view of the expected weather situations," the ministry said.
