US TROOPS FOR RELIEF OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN KENYA
About 50 US troops are expected to be deployed in Garissa and Daadab in the coming days in response to a Kenyan government's request for flood relief assistance.
An initial detachment of about 10 American military personnel has already arrived, says a spokeswoman for the US Horn of Africa task force that operates from a base in Djibouti. A C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft will be used in the relief mission in northern Kenya, the spokeswoman says.
Another 26 US Naval Construction Force members, also known as Seabees, have been ordered to stop their well-digging work in Garissa and assist with flood relief, says Command Chief Master Sergeant John Harris Jr, of the Horn of Africa task force.
Meanwhile, hundreds of families have been displaced in several parts of Wajir as heavy rains continue to wreak havoc.
In Diffu division, more than 30,000 families have been displaced. The floods have washed away dykes, bridges and culverts at Habaswein, disconnecting Wajir from Garissa and Isiolo.
At the same time, the government has sounded an alert in Wajir district following an outbreak of cholera in the neighbouring Moyale district.
