Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has alerted the riverine communities of Ogbaru, Anambra East and West local government areas to move to holding camps to avert more flood disaster as the level of the River Niger maintains an upward increase daily.
The Executive Director, SEMA Mr. Cyprian Agupugo who stated this during an assessment tour of various communities in the councils affected by flood in order to ascertain the water levels, said that with rising level of water, more victims had been moved into holding centres.
Agupugo who was represented by Executive Assistant to the Governor Obiano on SEMA (Media), Mr Emeka Obinwa, said that the flood victims in the holding camps were in need of food and other materials, as the victims complained of having exhausted the food items supplied by the state government some weeks ago.
“The situation of things has driven many victims into the holding centres. This is what we saw at Atani and some of the victims go about their daily activities and retire to the centres. The rising level of water witnessed in recent times, has orchestrated a surge in the number of victims in holding camps.
According to him, “most of the areas visited have been completely submerged as houses, farmlands, churches and schools are already underwater.
“School children have been displaced and in some upland areas, you will find out that children from different schools are merged and taught together. It is a sad story; the situation is really treacherous and devastating because most of this people now do their daily activities on the water.”
He assured victims of government’s readiness to work with relevant authorities to bring about the desired assistance to them.
Chairman, 2019 Flood Relief Committee, Ogbaru LGA, Mr Nnamdi Esimai, thanked the state government for making available relief materials that were distributed to victims through SEMA three weeks ago and appealed for the provision of more relief materials, especially food items, as the people had been worried and hungry.
He noted that more victims were increasing in the holding centres on daily basis due to the rising water level.
“To my surprise, rather than the water to recede, it is increasing. So, with the number of victims has increased to more than the original number in the camps,” he stated.
One of the displaced persons, Mrs. Ebele Nwachukwu, pleaded with government for more aids and food items to save them and their children from starvation.
“Our children no longer go to school because a child here, in the holding centre was almost carried away by floodwaters on his way from school,” she noted.
She, however, noted that this year’s flooding had become more unbearable because unlike other years the floodwaters would have started receding by this time of the year.