Early warning: Nairobi situation room to help reduce disasters in the Horn of Africa
A severe drought is sweeping across the horn of Africa and is now placing about 13 million people at risk of starvation. The World Food Programme says it is the worst drought in the region since 1981.
This is happening just over a year since the region experienced months of flooding which affected an estimated 3 million people directly.
The effects of this now familiar pattern have been devastating and points to a lack of preparedness, nationally and at the community level. With the establishment of a disaster operation centre or situation room, at IGAD Centre in Nairobi, the IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Centre (ICPAC) will provide timely and reliable climate information to help governments and communities better prepare to handle weather related hazards to avert disasters.
Watch the story here:
David Owino interviewed Ahmed Amdihun, PhD. Programme Coordinator for Disaster Risk Reduction at ICPAC, on how the situation room works and what the project portends for the region.