© UNHCR/Bernard Ntewari
A woman's home in Bujumbura, Burundi, was living with a relative after the floods destroyed it.
The United Nations and partners continue to support both countries as the region prepares for more heavy rains and severe flooding, which have reportedly killed more than 350 people since March.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on Friday that heavy rains could intensify as tropical cyclone Daya approaches.
Be prepared for impact
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) chief Claire Noulis told reporters in Istanbul that the tropical cyclone was forming its first tropical cyclone in East Africa and would have a "very big impact".
Tanzania is expected to suffer particularly severe damage because the ground is already inundated and the storm "is going to hit more significantly," she said.
Kenya is also on high alert when a dam burst on Monday, killing at least 45 people.
Concern for refugees
In addition, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is particularly concerned about the hundreds of refugees and other displaced persons across East Africa who have been displaced after their homes have been destroyed again.
In Kenya, nearly 20,000 people in the Dadaab refugee camp, which has a population of more than 380,000, have been displaced by rising water levels. Many of them are people who have fled the severe drought in neighbouring Somalia over the past few years.
About 4,000 residents are currently taking refuge in six schools, whose facilities have been severely damaged. Others are staying with friends or relatives elsewhere in the camp, where several toilets have collapsed, putting refugees at risk of deadly waterborne diseases.
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Meanwhile, in Burundi, about 32,000 refugees – about half of the country's refugee population – live in flood-affected areas, 500 of whom are in need of emergency assistance. Refugee families in the capital, Bujumbura, have had to relocate several times due to rising water levels.
UNHCR said it was becoming increasingly difficult to access food and other necessities due to soaring prices due to the high cost of transporting goods in canoes. Education has come to a standstill as classrooms are flooded and learning materials destroyed.
Rent prices in areas outside Bujumbura have reportedly doubled, making it prohibitively expensive for many refugee families to relocate. One of the hardest-affected areas is the commune of Nyanzarak in Makamba province, where 25,000 Burundian refugees from exile have settled in recent years.
Escape flash floods
Other East African countries most affected by the rains include Somalia. More than 46,000 IDPs in five locations in the south were forced to relocate due to flash floods.
In Tanzania, more than 200,000 refugees, mainly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi, were affected in two camps. Shelters in the camp were damaged, affecting some 200 families.
UNRCO/Fred Brannin Obada
Vice-President Rigatti Gachagua (left), accompanied today by a UN Kenyan delegation led by Resident Coordinator Dr. Stephen Jackson (right) and UNHCR officials, distributed essential aid to families affected by the recent floods in Kemako, Mathare City, Nairobi County.
Work across geographies
Across East Africa, UNHCR is working closely with local authorities and partners to provide vital assistance and protection services to refugees and nearby affected communities.
The agency is providing tarpaulins, mosquito nets, soap, canisters and other relief items to Kenyan refugees, with a special focus on the elderly and disabled. Families are also helped to relocate to safer areas.
UNHCR's activities are part of a broader response to the crisis in Kenya, where the United Nations and its partners have so far helped some 125,000 people on the ground. Stephen Jackson, the UN Resident Coordinator in the country, said the overall support included shelter, food, medicine and cash, as well as blankets and mosquito nets.
He told UN News: "I think the fear is that more rain is coming, so we know that demand will deepen before it improves. ”
In Burundi, UNHCR will provide shelter and cash assistance to support refugees as part of a government-led inter-agency response. Thousands of former Burundian refugees who have returned home are among the priority recipients of support.
Teams in Tanzania are working with local partners to rehabilitate refugee shelters, while in Somalia, critical protection assistance and essentials are being provided to internally displaced families.
Building climate resilience
Climate change is making many parts of the world increasingly uninhabitable, especially in vulnerable areas such as East Africa and the Horn of Africa, and floods have exposed gaps in preparedness and early action, UNHCR said.
"Nor is it benefiting host communities for the financial effects of climate change and those forcibly displaced. Without help to prepare, withstand and lift the recovery from climate-related shocks, they will be at increased risk of further displacement," the agency said.
Last month, UNHCR launched its first Climate Adaptation Fund to protect refugees and displaced persons from climate shocks. The target is $100 million per share by the end of 2025.
Donations will support initiatives such as providing more clean energy to power access to water, schools and sanitation infrastructure for refugees and host communities.