Floods in Kenya have impacted 43 counties, prompting the Kenya Red Cross Society and the International Centre for Humanitarian Affairs (ICHA) to deploy drones and satellite imagery for disaster response. This story highlights how innovation can enhance disaster preparedness and save lives.

“The city is at a standstill because most roads are flooded”

Uber driver Kelvin Mwangi told the AFP news agency in Nairobi. No doubt the floods hit hard this time, they hit hard and hit home for a majority of Kenyans specifically city dwellers and the community at large. It has been a devastating long rains season. The above normal rainfall caused widespread devastation, through flooding, landslides, and mudslides affecting 43 out of 47 counties in the country. This has had a tragic human cost, with an approximate 100,228 households affected (601,368 persons) as of 31st May 2024 translating to a loss of livelihoods for most of those affected. This blog post aims to explore the conditions of change that led to the use of innovations, the role of partners and donors in disaster response, and the lessons we can learn for future disasters. 

Innovation and Humanitarian Response

One thing is certain, during an active response, incorporating innovation is key to enhance efficiency of the responders on the ground as well as to ensure that the team at the operations center has real time information to inform decision making. With lives at stake and an extreme hit to infrastructural damages, Kenya Red Cross Society worked closely with the International Centre for Humanitarian Affairs (ICHA- the think tank of the Kenyan Red Cross Society) to deploy the drones through their Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) unit along with the data unit combining satellite and drone expertise. The team, supported by a network of partners through the Kenya Unmanned Air Systems Association (KUASA), deployed the drones to eight counties to document and map out the extent of the floods damage. Through these experiences, the Kenya Red Cross Society and ICHA have been able to showcase the value of networks, innovation and technology in supporting an ongoing disaster response. Below are some of the successful use cases from the flood response: 

Success Stories: Drones in Action

Mudslide Evacuation in Mai Mahiu

• Following the devastating mud slide that occurred on the 29^th of April in Mai Mahiu where over 50 lives were lost, the team was able to capture and process imagery of the disaster area and as a result, an evacuation of a school and hospital downstream was made possible, to avoid any further loss of life and property.  

Finding the Lost: A Child’s Rescue in Katangi

• On April 23^rd, after an hour of supporting a search and rescue operation, in Katangi, Machakos county,  a volunteer drone pilot from Kenya Flying Labs, engaged under the ICHA drone unit was able to lead the rescue team to a five year old child who had been missing for 3 days marooned in a water-locked village, with closest ground support at a distance of about 3kms. 

The Importance of Partnerships

The Kenya Red Cross Society received overwhelming support from donors and partners during the response period, and this was vital in the response strategy. Through (KUASA), Amazon Web Services (AWS), Help. NGO and Internet Societies, (ISOC), access to volunteer drone pilots, drone equipment and data processing infrastructure was readily available to the Kenyan Red Cross response teams. This was a game changer and enabled the drone team to support the floods response operations in eight counties concurrently; Nairobi, Machakos, Kajiado, Kijabe, Kisumu, Busia, Garissa and along the Tana Delta over a period of three weeks in the month of May.  

Leveraging Satellite Imagery

Furthermore, leveraging on the ongoing partnership between Kenya Red Cross and the Airbus Foundation, the data unit was able to task the Pleiades satellite to acquire high resolution (optical and radar) images of specific flood areas within 24 hours, and free, proprietary satellite imagery from Sentinel 1 and Sentinel 2 satellites. These detailed data sets facilitated rapid assessments of flood extent and infrastructural damage.  

Lessons Learned

As the Kenya Red Cross Society works through its units, departments, partners and volunteers, some important lessons have been picked up along the way and they highlight the importance of innovation in disaster response, especially through usage of innovative tools. By leveraging on innovations like drones and satellite imagery for mapping, disaster response can be swifter, more targeted, and ultimately save more lives. Through the assistance of the Help. NGO Innovation and IT team, the ICHA data unit has been able to formulate a data processing workflow that is cost effective as the Society no longer needs to pay for costly annual subscriptions, Web ODM gets the job done. It has simplified and enhanced data processing turnaround time to almost half a day from the previous 2-3 days it would usually take. They have also supported the drone team by offering training in rapid mapping for disaster response.

Buidling on this, another learning that cuts across other departments too; the disaster underscores the need for strong partnerships between local and international actors, whereby expertise and access to resources are complementary to ground needs and expertise.  It is paramount to have a multi-agency coordinated approach, having all hands on deck by marrying different expertise and capacities really serves as the ultimate boost to the Kenya Red Cross Society surge capacity.

In closing, the floods remind us of the importance of investing in preparedness, ensuring the negative impacts on communities are minimized, and resources are prepositioned in the most efficient way possible. Through this, humanitarian aid organizations can be better equipped to respond effectively ensuring maximum impact from minimal resources turning adversity into an opportunity to build a more prepared and sustainable future. 

Read more about this operation