YENAGOA – The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Saturday said that 925 people in Isampou community, Kolokumo/Opokumo Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have been displaced by erosion.
In a statement issued in Yenagoa, NEMA said that the families and individuals were displaced following the heavy rainfall of Oct. 8, which resulted in a flood that damaged 12 houses and 10 boats.
The statement quotes Mr Angos Dide, Secretary, Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency, as saying no lives were, however, lost to the flooding.
Dide said that the incident, which occurred as a result of a rise in tide that caused a river to overflow its banks, led to the destruction of properties and valuables, including farmlands.
“Affected individuals are mostly farmers, fishermen and petty traders; right now, 925 persons are affected by the erosion,” he said.
The statement said that Mr Godwin Adokeme, the Senior Special Assistant to Bayelsa Governor on Youth Development and Empowerment, described the incident as “terrible”.
Adokeme also solicited the support of relevant agencies of the Federal Government for the affected community.
He also called for the construction of shoreline protection or embankment in Isampou and other communities to check coastal erosion in Bayelsa. (NAN)
