By Muhammad Auwal
Yola, – Persons affected by recent flood disasters in Adamawa have appealed to the Federal Government to come to their aid to ease their hardship.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that between July and September this year, thousands of people were affected by the flood in 18 out of 21 local government areas of the state.NAN findings revealed that majority of the affected communities were those located close to River Benue.
Majority of the victims are currently living as IDPs in temporary camps provided by state government across the state.
In separate interviews with NAN in Fufore ,Yola South and Girei Local Government Areas, the victims said they lost almost all their belongings to the flood.Mr. John Garba ,a rice farmer from Njoboliyo village in Fufore said he lost all his property in early August this year due to heavy downpour that caused the flood.
” Following the heavy flood in August this year, I lost my house and three of my rice farmlands.” Since then, I and my family have been squatting in my neighbours’ house and had not received any assistance from anybody,” he lamented.Alhaji Usman Barde, a large scale rice and maize farmer from Girei area , equally said that the flood had submerged his maize farms.” Last year ,I harvested over five hundred bags of maize, but this year, due to the flood disaster , it will be difficult for me to harvest even one hundred bags ” Barde said.Also lamenting, Malam Umar Hassan , a resident of Yolde-Pate village in Yola South said that the flood completely destroyed his house.Hassan said he had been forced to take refuge in one of the temporary camp set up by State Emergency Management Agency in Yolde-Pate. and had not received any assistance from government.Reacting, Dr Muhammad Sulaiman, Executive Secretary of Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA) said a total of 357, 343 individuals, 7,893 Houses and 95,474 farmlands were affected.
He said that the State Emergency Management Agency had forwarded the information to the National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA) for possible intervention.When contacted about the development, Mr Slako Lugard, the NEMA Head of Emergency Operation Centres ( EOC) in charge of Adamawa ,Benue and Taraba said that they had carried out inspections and assessment of all the affected areas in Adamawa.” We have submitted our findings to the headquarters and are waiting for their response to enable us reach out to the victims. ” Lugard said.
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