Contact: Amber Meikle, 02079349348; Lurma Rackley in Atlanta, 404-979-9450, lrackley@care.org, both with CARE International

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov. 24 /Christian Newswire/ -- The flooded Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya, home to nearly 160,000 Somali refugees are now completely cut-off except by air.

Photo: CARE trucks struggle through mud on their way to Dadaab, Kenya. (© 2006 Thomas Schwarz/CARE)

According to Mohammed Qazilbash, Senior Programme Manager for Emergency & Refugee Operations for CARE International in Kenya, who is based in the camps, "The rains have stopped and the waters started to recede, but that has left deep mud. The roads are impassible."

"Our biggest concern is that we have only two weeks of fuel left. Unless the roads open up we will run out of fuel for the water pumps that supply the entire refugee and local population," continued Qazilbash. "Medical supplies and water pipes and taps are another big concern."

CARE is in the process of relocating up to 15,000 of the hardest hit refugees in Ifo camp to higher ground and setting up temporary water tanks, latrines and other essentials.

Alongside the World Food Programme, CARE has stepped up food distribution in the camps. Completing general food distribution to 50,000 refugees in Hagadera camp and 37,000 refugees in Dagahaley, distributions are continuing to 54,000 refugees in Ifo camp. CARE is also supplying water and other essential items to the local Kenyan population who have also been hard hit.