30 people dead in Kenya and Somalia as heavy rains and flash floods displace thousands

By EMMANUEL IGUNZA
Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Aid agencies say heavy rains and flash flooding have killed at least 30 people and displaced tens of thousands in Kenya and Somalia. In Somalia, the federal government declared a national emergency after the extreme weather killed at least 14 people and destroyed homes, roads and bridges. Emergency and rescue workers were trying to reach an estimated 2,400 residents trapped by flood waters in the Luuq district of southern Somalia’s Jubaland state. The heavy rains in Somalia follow four consecutive years of drought. In neighboring Kenya, the Red Cross said Monday that the death toll had risen to 15 since the heavy rains began Friday.