Several homes and business places have been submerged in Makurdi, Benue State capital, following days of rainfall and the resultant flood that has left hundreds of families displaced and property worth millions of Naira destroyed.
The daily torrential rain, which caused the flooding of several communities in the town, including the Ishaya Bakut axis, Achussa, Idye, Naka Road, Wadata rice mill, Angwan Jukun communities, among others, have forced helpless families out of their homes, while many were trapped in their residences and unable to vacate their flooded houses.
The devastation came three weeks after the Executive Secretary of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr. Emmanuel Shior, appealed to residents in the town and other communities on flood prone areas to vacate such areas to safer places, following earlier warning by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) of the impending flood.
Dr. Shior, who led his team to assess the damage caused by the flood blamed blocked water channels and drainages as well as the erection of illegal structures on water routes for largely being responsible for the disaster.
He appealed to residents to immediately embark on the clearing of blocked drainages, “while those who are living in areas that are prone to flood should immediately vacate to safer places before it is too late.
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“On our part, we are doing everything within our powers to mitigate the impact. We are working together with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and all relevant stakeholders to share information and tips about what we should do to avert the disaster.”
He disclosed that the state government had set up a standing committee, which include SEMA, the Ministries of Environment and Water Resources, Lands and Survey, Urban Development and other stakeholders to synergise and address the issue of perennial flooding in the State.
He said his agency would seek the intervention of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development as well as National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other relevant government agencies in order to get succour for the victims.
An occupant of one of the submerged houses on Ishaya Bakut Road, Mr. Anthony Elekpa, who narrated his ordeal said he lost most of his household property and important documents to the flood.
Vanguard