Flood, windstorm destroy shops, farmlands in Ebonyi communities

From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki

Floods and windstorms have caused widespread destruction of shops and farmlands in some parts of Ebonyi State and destroyed property worth millions of naira.

The disaster occurred following a downpour, last Saturday, accompanied by a windstorm.

Communities affected by the downpour and windstorm included; Afikpo and Akpoha in Afikpo Local Government Area of the state and Abakaliki metropolis.

The downpour, which lasted for more than three hours, last Saturday, triggered severe flooding that submerged farmlands along the Abakaliki–Afikpo Expressway, while the accompanying windstorm blew off the roofs of several shops and damaged many property.

The victims lamented that the flood destroyed crops, including yam, cassava, maize, rice, melon, and other produce, leaving many of them devastated after investing heavily in the current planting season.

One of them, Idam Cletus, said the area had experienced persistent rainfall in the last week, culminating in Saturday’s disaster.

“We invested huge sums of money in our farms, but everything has been washed away by the flood. To ensure food production, we may have to start planting all over again if the flood recedes,” he said.

He appealed to Ebonyi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to visit the affected communities and assess the extent of the damage. He said the communities such as Afikpo, Amasiri, Akpoha, and their surrounding areas have witnessed downpours in recent days, resulting in extensive destruction of farmlands.

“We are predominantly farmers. We cultivate our crops early to support all-season farming, but, regrettably, the flood has destroyed everything. After the rainfall, we visited our farms and discovered that all the crops had been swept away,” he added.

In Abakaliki, shop owners also suffered significant losses as strong winds accompanying the rain damaged commercial buildings and exposed goods to the downpour.

Mrs. Chioma Ifeanyi, a trader at Kpirikpiri Market, said several shops had their roofs blown off, forcing traders to hurriedly evacuate their goods.

“The rainstorm caused extensive damage. Many shop owners lost valuable goods, while traders dealing in electrical appliances recorded huge losses after their products were soaked by rainwater,” she said.

Another farmer, Sunday Ewa, called on the Ebonyi State government to provide relief materials and agricultural inputs to affected farmers.

“We need assistance in the form of farm inputs, chemicals, and improved seeds to enable us to return to our farms. Farming is our major source of livelihood, and we cannot afford to give up despite these losses,” he said.

He noted that communities in Afikpo, Amasiri and Akpoha are particularly vulnerable to flooding due to the terrain, adding that farmers suffer substantial losses almost every year.

“Whenever there is heavy rainfall, our farmlands become submerged. We lose most of our crops annually to flooding, and this has become a major challenge for farmers in the area,” he lamented.