Flood displaces 1,200, ravages 400 houses in Plateau, Kano

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About 200 households with over 1, 200 members have been displaced by flood in Rikkos community of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, following a downpour on Sunday afternoon.

The Head, Emergency Response Team of the community, Mr Al’Amin Yakubu, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Jos.

Yakubu said though no life was lost, the flood destroyed and washed away valuables.

“The flood didn’t claim lives, but because it was huge, it displaced over 200 households, that is about 1, 200 people.

“These households have lost all their properties and are left with nothing,” he said.

He said the displaced persons were currently staying with neighbours, as no camp had been put in place for them.

Yakubu described the condition of the displaced persons as pathetic, adding that access to food, shelter and clothing had become a serious challenge for them.

“As a community, we don’t have the capacity and resources to camp these people; we would have done that pending when the government will intervene.

“But we have contacted the National Emergency Management Agency and the State Emergency Management Agency and both have promised to respond soon,” he said.

Efforts to reach the SEMA Executive Director, Alhaji Alhassan Barde, proved abortive, but a senior staff of the agency, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed the incident to NAN.

He said that the agency had already sent its personnel to the affected community to assess the level of damage.

Also, flood ravaged no fewer than 400 houses in Bar’kwari community in the Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area of Kano State on Sunday afternoon.

The spokesman for the Kano State Fire Service, Saidu Mohammed, made this disclosure in an interview with NAN on Monday in Kano.

He said the flood also affected primary schools, animals and foodstuffs, adding that firemen were, however, able to rescue the victims.

“We received a distress call from Hajia Gambo Usman, who lives in the neighbourhood, at about 3:22pm, reporting that there was flooding in their area.

“On receiving the information, we quickly sent our rescue team and a vehicle to the scene at about 3:38pm,’’ he said.

Mohammed urged the public to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse in order to stop blocking the waterways.

He reminded the community of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency’s warning of downpour this year.

Meanwhile, the Kogi State Government has set up temporary camps for the victims of flood in Lokoja, as more houses get submerged in the confluence city.

According to the state Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Sanusi Yahaya, the IDP camps for the flood victims had been opened in the Old Poly Quarters in Lokoja, the state’s capital city.

The commissioner said the ministry was already collaborating with all relevant agencies to ensure that relief materials were provided for the IDPs.

“Despite the challenge of water supply in the camp, the state government has been able to resolve the challenge by providing alternative water supply sources,” he added.

The Director of Relief and Rehabilitation, Kogi State Emergency Management Agency, Mr James Ahmadu,  who also spoke to newsmen, said that the flood victims had been trooping into the camps that were set up on Friday.

“Fifty-five households arrived the camp on Friday while additional 33 came on Saturday,” he added.

The Camp Leader, Mr Umar Zakari, told newsmen that victims from Adankolo Estate lost practically everything they had.

He commended the state government for the temporary accommodation but appealed to relevant stakeholders to assist the flood victims.

NEMA on Monday began an awareness campaign to mitigate the effects of the impending flood disaster in Taraba State.

The Head of Operations of NEMA Zonal Office in charge of Adamawa and Taraba states, Mr Abbani Garki, told journalists in Jalingo that the awareness workshop became necessary following the predictions by NIMET and HIRSA that Taraba and other states in the country would experience flooding.

“All heads of States Emergency Management Agencies, the media and other key stakeholders were present. We are now in Taraba in continuation of the awareness.

“We have the mandate to create awareness on disaster preparedness and management, and what we are doing now is part of the sensitisation and awareness creation,” Garki said.

 

 

 


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