Flood sacks 1,000 in Rivers, submerges 50 buildings

Posted by admin Headlines, Rivers, State News Tuesday, October 20th, 2015

A source disclosed that many people have already   fled their various communities to safe areas. Farmlands and livestock have also been washed away, he said.
It was gathered that victims were taking refuge in schools and some public buildings that were not yet affected by the flood.
Commenting on the flood, some of the victims lamented the disaster, and the hardship on them.
According to them, besides their displacement, they no longer have access to their cassava farms and other economic crops, which they said, had further compounded their problems, as many of them were being tormented by hunger and exposed to the elements.
One of them, who simply gave her name as Theresa, said she now sleeps in a shop while her children stay with some relatives.
She appealed to the state government for assistance, especially provision of drugs, food and other materials.
When Daily Sun contacted the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) it was discovered that the federal agency was yet to send relief materials to the affected persons. The spokesman for the agency in Rivers State, Mr. Joe Akpofade disclosed how absence of State Emergence Management Agency was hampering prompt intervention of NEMA in a situation like the current flood disaster in the state.
He said it was the State Emergence Management Agency that was supposed to assess the problem on ground and report to NEMA, Rivers State, which in turn, would report to the Director General of NEMA for recommendation of relief materials to be sent to the victims.
According to him, the State Emergency Agency and   Ministry for Special Duties were supposed to,   first, assess the extent of flood and make recommendations to NEMA.
It would be recalled that communities   in   Ahoada West were among those affected by 2012 flood. Also, Nigerian Metrological Agency(NIMET) also warned people living in the coastal areas against a repeat of the 2012 flood this years.

-Sunwp_posts