THE NATION WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2012
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NEWS RAGE OF FLOODS
The rich also cry FLOOD is no respecter of persons. Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Trade and Investment Samuel Ortom, former Anambra State Deputy Governor Chinedu Emeka and other men of means can testify. The flood has not spared even monarchs, whose palaces have been submerged. As the poor are mourning their losses in thousands, the rich are doing so in millions and billions. State investments, such as a rice plantation, run by Viatnamese for the Edo State government, has been overrun by water. Ogbeh, former Attorney-General and Justice Minister Mike Aondoakaa and a former Governor of the state, the late Rev-Fr. Moses Adasu, lost property estimated at several millions of naira. The late Adasu’s Covenant Clergy Retirement Home on Beach Road and Covenant Projects Company on the Makurdi-Gboko Road were submerged. The floods also overran Ogbeh’s Makurdi home. Hundreds of bags of rice, which Aondoakaa stocked in two warehouses on Ogbeh’s premises as raw materials for the Miva Rice Factory, were destroyed. The Minister of State for Trade’s 350 hectare rice farm has been submerged. The houses of the former Anambra Deputy Governor, former Minister of Transport John Emeka and the palace of Igwe of Umueze-Anam are flooded.
•Emeka's flooded premises in Anam
ceived reports of the victims’ crisis in Uzo-Uwani council and had briefed its Enugu office to act quickly.
Communities in Cross River in tears Though Cross River is among the states listed by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) to prepare for heavy rains and flooding, the intensity of the disaster could not in any way be compared to what was experiened the previous years. According to the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), more
than 42, 000 residents have been displaced by the flood this year. The worst hit local government areas are: Obubra, Ogoja, Yala, Ikom, Abi, Biase, Odukpani, Boki, Obudu and Obanliku. It is difficult to see the displaced persons in one rehabilitation camp as they are promptly accommodated by families and friends in adjoining, communities. A SEMA official said the hospitable nature of the people has, to a great extent, aided them in coping with the situation.
In Yala, Mr Gabriel Ogar, who is accommodating a family whose house was flooded, said: “Well, this thing can happen to anybody. So, we have to open our hands to help our brothers and sisters.” So far, 11 deaths have been recorded this year, according to SEMA. In Adim in Biase, a nine-month-old baby, Godswill Echu Okon, was reportedly killed when a residential building collapsed on him. The collapse was caused by flooding. In Agwagwune, in the same Biase council, two 12-year-olds were allegedly
swept away. As of the last count, about 49 persons have been hospitalised from flood-induced injuries. More than 4000 farmers have also been affected with about 106, 000 hectares of farmland washed away. Yams, cassava, cocoyam, melon, rice and vegetables, among others, have been destroyed. The Nation learnt that about 1059 houses have been destroyed, especially in the rural areas where they were built with mud bricks. One of the most famous tourism
sites in the state, Buanchor Drill Ranch and Canopy Walk in Boki, has been rendered inaccessible by the floods. The bridges and culverts on the road have all been swept away. The disaster, which came in the aftermath of a down pour that lasted for about three days, also affected six villages where no fewer than 80 houses were swept away and 3000 farmlands destroyed. At the end of the three-day downpour, about 10000 residents either became homeless, or incapacitated economically. Tourists who were on tour of the Buanchor Drill Ranch and Canopy Walk as at that time were trapped. The about-30-metre high Buanchor Canopy Walkway, located in the heart of the virgin forest of Boki, is the longest in Africa. The Drill Ranch is for the protection of Drill Monkeys, an endangered animal species which attract hundreds of tourists on monthly basis. The situation is a major blow to tourism, the mainstay of Cross River’s economy. In Agwagwune, Biase council, women and children live under inhuman conditions with no potable water, food and medication. The villages in the area could only be accessed by the use of canoes through forest, invested with reptiles and dangerous animals. Speaking in Egbism village on his canoe, Mr. Ekuma Bassey, lamented that the flood was the first of its kind in more than a decade. He lamented that he and his family had no place to live in as they could not raise the rent for apartment in the city centre. Bassey lamented that they could no longer eat cooked food, as all the water sources in the area have been poluted. He said: “Now, we eat only bread which we have to buy from the neighbouring community. We cannot use firewood here. We cannot use kerosene. We are suffering. Please help us.” Bassey lamented that market and schools have been submerged, creating both economic and social problems. Okpandin, a village in Yala Local Government Area, was completely sacked. Mr. Cyprian Idim, a resident of the community, said: “We have no access to that village again and the people had to be evacuated to other villages. There is no access to that village again. Water has surrounded the village.” Expressing regret that their farmland had been washed away, he said: “We have no other occupation than farming.” Compounding matters was the recent release of water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon. The water released from the dam affected Yala, Ogoja, Ikom, Obubra, Abi, Biase and Odukpani council areas. SEMA’s Director-General Vincent Aquah expressed the fear that the magnitude and severity of the damage to lives and property would increase as the flood level rises. According to him, apart from the expected extreme famine as a result of the destruction of farmlands, accommodation would become a problem as many are already relocating to make shift shelters. “These conditions are far below human standard particularly living in a slum such as this thatch house. Children and women are suffering and there is an urgent need to address the situation before it gets out of hand,” he said. He appealed to the Federal Government and international organisations to assist the government in cushioning the effects of the floods. Aquah said sensitisation campaigns have been flagged of in all the coaster communities to advise residents of flood-prone communities to relocate to higher planes.