Over 1, 300 residents of Erema in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area in Rivers State have been displaced by raging flood.
The Erema Community Development Committee (CDC) Chairman, Ben Chilekwe, confirmed the development when the Rivers State Flood Committee inaugurated by Governor Nyesom Wike visited the area on Saturday.
The committee, which was on an assessment tour of the impacted local government areas, was shocked to see that the flood swallowed most of the buildings in the council.
Chilekwe said some of the victims were taking refuge at a camp for the internally displaced persons.
The Chairman of the committee and Permanent Secretary, Special Services Bureau, Dr. George Nwaeke, assured the victims that governor Wike was prepared to provide succour for them.
Addressing them, he said: “I want to tell you that the governor has heard your cries and made provisions to clean your tears. We sympathize with you and we have seen what is happening”.
Nwaeke commended the local government chairman of the area for establishing an IDP camp for the victims.
He said: “We have just come to see you, and we are going back now to come back with resources that will give you immediate succour.
“But before we do that, I will want this crowd to be properly profiled. We want to know the number of people that are here so that as we are planning, we plan with proper statistics.
He said in the next 22 hours, the committee would return with basic items such as food adding that the environment would be cleaned to guarantee victims’ health.
He noted that the committee came with a mobile clinic to take care of the immediate health challenges of victims.
He said: “I want to assure you that the governor has done well for you. In a few hours time say in the next 22 hours from now we will be taking care of the immediate things, which will include food and cleaning the environment to give you good health.
“As we speak, we came with a mobile clinic that will take care of any immediate challenge . Our health officers are around feel free to report through your councillors and other stakeholders so we know what is happening to you.
“I thank our governor for always identifying with his people . For always knowing the needs of his people and I can assure you very soon all these will be a thing of the past”.