They would soon realise that their decision to remain in the house was not wise because the water level was rising every minute.
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The entire village was in disarray. Children were crying, some houses and crops had already been swept away and people were walking in darkness, seeking refuge in safer places amid the raging floods. We held our hands as we waded through the flooded village to Longewan dispensary that was on higher grounds, said the mother of one.
When she opened the door to get out, she said, all her belongings, including utensils and bedding, were swept downstream, save for her babys clothes, which she had earlier tied on the rooftop.
All the affected villages were surrounded by water and could only be accessed through boats as all the roads and bridges were submerged.
They braved the cold throughout the night with their young children and elderly ones until midday when the Kenya Red Cross team arrived with boats and evacuated them to the neighbouring Loitip village.
Nolnero Maitano, 75, was also woken up by the floodwaters while sleeping with her two grandchildren, aged between five and one-year-old, who had been left under her care after their mother passed away a year ago.
I was still sleeping when I heard a loud bang on my mud-walled hut. Before I came to my senses on what had transpired, water had already gotten onto our bed. I woke up very quickly, held my two children, and got out of the house, said Ms Maitano.
Flood watersShe got hold of two shawls and tied the infant on her back while tightly carrying the other child as they waded the flood waters to Longewan dispensary.
With the young children, they stood in the crowded, cold facility on empty stomachs until the following afternoon.
The entire village has been swallowed by the flooding, including all our belongings, the granny said as she cuddled her starving granddaughter.
James Tondokor,82, who is visually impaired, was also asleep on the fateful night when he realised that his bed was wet. He woke up to find his house had already flooded.
Owing to my condition, there was little I could do to get out of the house to safety because I was all alone. Luckily, two neighbours responded quickly and managed to get me to a safer area, albeit with difficulty because the entire village was flooded and the rains were pounding heavily. I am just lucky to have been rescued to this place but hundreds of my villagers are still trapped in water, said Mr Tondokor.
He lost everything in the floods, including his livestock and crops.
I lost everything, including my house which has since been swallowed by the flood waters. The only thing I have now is the clothes I had put on at the time, nothing else, said the distraught elderly, shivering in the biting cold.
