Sri Lankan troops raced against rising waters on Friday, pulling families from rooftops and treetops as the death toll from Cyclone Ditwah climbed to 69, with another 34 people reported missing. The disaster, which has forced over 18,000 people into temporary shelters, paints a grim picture tragically familiar to many Kenyans.

The crisis unfolding in the fellow Indian Ocean nation is a stark reminder of Kenya's own recent and brutal battles with flooding. While Sri Lanka reels from torrential rains, some regions receiving 360mm in 24 hours, Kenyans remember the devastating floods of April and May 2024, which killed over 235 people and displaced more than 260,000.

A Deluge of Despair

Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre (DMC) confirmed the rising toll as rescue operations continued in the worst-hit central region, where many victims were buried alive in mudslides. The Kelani River, which flows near the capital Colombo, breached its banks, turning neighborhoods into lakes. "I think this could be the worst flood in our area for three decades," noted VSA Ratnayake, a 56-year-old resident forced to flee his home near the capital.

The scale of the disaster is immense, with authorities reporting:

• Deaths: At least 69 confirmed.
• Missing: 34 people remain unaccounted for.
• Displaced: Over 18,000 evacuated to shelters.
• Affected: More than 219,000 people from over 63,000 families have been impacted.
• Homes Damaged: At least 3,000 houses have been damaged by the floods and mudslides.

A Shared Ocean of Worry

For Kenya, the events in Sri Lanka are not a distant tragedy but a potent warning. Scientists have repeatedly cautioned that climate change is intensifying cyclones and extreme weather events across the Indian Ocean. The rapid warming of the ocean is fueling stronger storms, threatening coastal and inland communities alike. Just as Cyclone Ditwah has crippled Sri Lanka, Kenya has faced its own weather-related catastrophes, with torrential rains overwhelming infrastructure and devastating livelihoods from Nairobi's informal settlements to Tana River County.

International aid has begun to flow into Sri Lanka, with neighboring India launching 'Operation Sagar Bandhu' to deliver humanitarian supplies. The response highlights the critical need for robust disaster management, a challenge both nations share. As one Sri Lankan official noted, the country is bracing for more rain, a forecast that resonates deeply with Kenyan communities still rebuilding from recent deluges.

As Sri Lanka grieves, the cyclone serves as a powerful testament to a shared vulnerability. The rising waters in Colombo are a reflection of a global climate crisis that lands, with devastating force, on the doorsteps of nations bordering our common ocean.