The Nation Newspaper

Tag: flood

Flood destroys communities in Yobe

Thousands of people have been displaced, following a downpour in two communities in Yobe State.

The rain, which began late on Monday night and stopped yesterday, rendered residents of Ngelzarma and Jajare in Fune Local Government homeless.

Reports said nobody died. Deputy Governor Abubakar Aliyu visited the victims and sympathised with them.

He directed the Ministry of Works to assess the area and come up with a solution.

Aliyu instructed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to provide a palliative for the victims, who are temporarily camped at a primary school in the community.

The SEMA Executive Secretary, Idi Jidawa, told our correspondent on the phone that he had despatched two teams to Ngelzarma and Jajare to provide succour.

He said: “The flood in Jajare is serious. My team could not access the village from the route they followed. They will have to take another route tomorrow to get to the village. From the report I gathered, the village has been submerged.”

August 5, 2015
Bauchi: Flood destroy houses,crops worth N46.16m

Houses and crops worth N46.16 million have been destroyed by flood in Misau town and surrounding villages in Bauchi State.

Alhaji Ado Aska, Chairman, Misau Local Government Council in the state, made this known in Misau on Saturday, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Aska disclosed that the incident, which occurred on July 28, destroyed 197 houses and crops worth N38.77 million in Misau town.

He explained that 52 houses and crops worth N7.39 million were also destroyed by the flood in Firko and Kafin Sule villages in the suburbs of Misau town.

He said that persons displaced by the flood had taken refuge with their relations in various locations within Misau Town.

The chairman attributed the incident to poor drainage facilities, coupled with the porous nature of the soil within Misau town its environs environs.

He said that officials from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), had visited the affected and promised to assist with relief materials.

August 1, 2015
Flood submerges buildings, transformer in Anambra

Ten buildings and an electric transformer were submerged in the aftermath flood of Monday’s rainfall in Agu-Awka, Anambra State.

Residents said the flood destroyed property worth millions of naira.

Some said they had been experiencing the ordeal during rainy seasons in the last five years, even before the 2012 flooding.

They expressed fears that it may be worse this year when the rains set in fully and called on the government to correct the drainage work.

Mrs. Jacinta Walters, a resident of Nwakpadolu Estate said she had lived in the area for three years and her apartment had been flooded five times, with valuables destroyed.

Walters attributed the flooding to the bad drainage.

“My television, mattresses, certificates and children’s academic files were destroyed; my house was filled with water up to window level, and you can see my children scooping water out of the house.

“The neighbours here are not around but we broke the door to save their property; their kitchen and toilets are already under the water,” she said.

Another resident, Mr. Okafor, said the flood endangered the people as reptiles, such as snakes and crocodiles, were seen floating on water after the rains.

Okafor said the submerged transformer was a threat as residents could be electrocuted if there was spark or leakage.

A landlord, Chief Joseph Nwakpadolu, said the flooding was caused by the enormity of flood channelled to the area from Agu-Awka, Arroma and Nkwo-Amenyi.

He said the drainage channel to control these floods was inadequate and appealed to the government to remedy the situation.

“The situation here is always bad during the rainy season, our farmland has been submerged, buildings are endangered and lives are not safe.

“The flooding from the channel rushes into the estate because the culvert there cannot carry the water through, the transformer serving us is working but you can see it is under the water.

“We appeal to the government to de-silt the area because the level is rising by the day and we cannot do these ourselves. Now that the rains are here, we pray there will not be an outbreak of epidemic and what happened in 2012,” Nwankpadolu said.

July 29, 2015
Photos: After the rain comes traffic

GRIDLOCK ON ABUJA-KADUNA EXPRESSWAY DUE TO FLOODING AT GIRI JUNCTION IN ABUJA ON THURSDAY

MOTORCYCLES WADING THROUGH THE FLOOD ON NYANYA-KEFFI ROAD AT MARABA ON THURSDAY

THE NIGERIAN PRISON SERVICE’S STAFF BUS WHICH BROKE DOWN IN THE FLOOD ON NYANYA-KEFFI ROAD AT MARABA ON THURSDAY

TRAFFIC ON ABUJA-KADUNA EXPRESSWAY AT GIRI JUNCTION DUE TO FLOOD ACROSS THE HIGHWAY IN ABUJA ON THURSDAY

TRAFFIC FLOWING AGAIN ON ABUJA-KADUNA EXPRESSWAY, AFTER THE FLOOD THAT COVERED THE HIGHWAY SUBSIDED AT GIRI JUNCTION IN ABUJA ON THURSDAY

July 23, 2015
Flood sacks Edo tribunal

The National Assembly and House of AssemblyElection Petitions Tribunal in Edo State has moved out of the flooded Court of Appeal premises to the State High Court on Sapele Road.

Friday’s heavy downpour sacked the premises with the courtrooms flooded and documents destroyed.

The three-member panel relocated to the reconstructed Court 2 of the state High Court.

At the resumed hearing of the petition by Samson Osagie of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against Senator Matthew Urhoghide of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the tribunal adjourned till July 29, following the absence of Osagie’s counsel, Niyi Akintola (SAN).

The adjournment, according to the tribunal chairman, Justice A. R Ozoemena, was because of Akintola, who narrowly escaped an accident in Abuja on Sunday.

Briefing the tribunal yesterday, a junior counsel, Osaro Osemwengie, said no life was lost in the accident.

Urhoghide and PDP’s lead counsel Fred Orbih (SAN) and Jonathan Aghimien (SAN) corroborated Osemwengie’s story and pleaded for an adjournment.

Justice Ozoemena warned counsel against bringing frivolous motions to the court.

He said the tribunal will no longer entertain any of such motions.

July 14, 2015
Floods kill 12 in Nairobi

Kenyan police on Tuesday in Nairobi confirmed that flooding sparked by heavy rains on Monday night killed 12 people in Nairobi.

Benson Kibue, Provincial Police Commander, said the wall of a mosque collapsed on shanty dwellings in Fuata Nyayo slum, and killed 10 people.

He said two other victims were swept away by floods.

Kibue said the flooding, which has left major roads submerged, was believed to have been made worse by blockages in the drainage system in several parts of the city.

May 12, 2015
NEMA donates relief materials to flood victims

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has donated relief materials worth millions of naira to victims of last year’s flood disaster at Yaba community in Abaji Area Council.

Among the items donated were mattresses, bags of beans, buckets, mats, kegs of vegetable oil, bags of garri, bundles of zinc, bags of nail, cartons of zinc nail, bags of rice, bags of cement, mosquito-treated nets and kegs of red oil.

While presenting the items to the victims at the palace of Etsu of Yaba, the Director-General of NEMA in the FCT, Alhaji Abbas G. Idris, said the donation of the relief items aimed at cushioning the hardship experienced by those affected by the flood victim which wreaked havoc in the community.

He said various communities in Kwali and Gwagwalada area councils have also suffered from flood last year, but Yaba community in Abaji Area Council was the worst hit, which he said NEMA decided to accord priority in assisting those that were affected.

“I want to tell you honestly that Yaba community in Abaji Area Council received much attention not because the community is special, but because of the pressure the council chairman, Alhaji Yahaya Garba and the Etsu of Yaba, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, mounted on us to ensure that the affected areas are considered, “ he said.

Also speaking, the council chairman, Alhaji Yahaya Garba Gawu, commended the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, and the FCT NEMA for donating the relief materials to flood victims.

He said his administration was determined to continue to give priority to the welfare of residents of the council, while urging residents of the community to avoid building houses at the river bank.

“It is high time you people understood with the short fall in the country’s oil price, things were not as before where government will always come to assist. I am advising those who always build houses close to the river bank to desist from such,” he said.

On his part, the Etsu of Yaba, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, expressed concern over the deplorable condition of the road linking Dangara Junction with Yaba Village, even as he appealed to the FCT Minister to come to the aid of residents of the community by rehabilitating the road.

“Also the road from Yaba to neighbouring Kpache community which was under construction is in progress, but the contractor is handicapped since he has neither been paid take-off grant nor mobilisation fee. He has been suffering with his workers in silence because the loan he took from the bank had been yielding interest,” he said.

The monarch commended the effort of NEMA and the FCT Administration for coming to the aid of those affected by the flood at the community.

February 10, 2015
Flood sacks Warri residents

Residents of some parts of Warri, Delta State, yesterday were devastated as flood took over their homes and streets, following a midnight downpour.

Places like Etuwewe, Walter Odeli Road, a larger part of the Third Marine Gate Road, to Gbiaye Street, all within Marine Estate, were sacked by the flood, trapping some residents indoors.

Many worshippers waded through water to reach their destinations.

Also, the situation made most parts of the estate no-go areas for tricycles, the only means of public transportation through that part.

A resident, who pleaded for anonymity, said the situation was worsened by the fact that the drainages were blocked and not channelled into any canal.

“This flood you are seeing here came from the midnight rain.

“There was no flood yesterday, in fact, there was no rain for like two days and everywhere was dry, except for places where the road is bad, such as Odeli Road.

“The problem here is lack of drainages, the ones you see here are all blocked and even if they had been free, they lead to nowhere,” he said.

Commissioner for Environment Frank Omare could not be reached for comments.

Commissioner for Information Chike Ogeah said the government would sort out the situation after the rainy season.

“I know I’ve taken this thing up with Oga, especially in Warri, we’ve had a lot of complaints, especially on roads.

“What I know the governor said at that time was that the rains are the cause of the problem.

“They are the cause of the delays in the construction of the roads and drainages.

“Not only in Warri, but also in Asaba, go to the Okpanam Road axis, you will see the major problem there, but the governor is working on all those things.

“I think it’s this climate change that is the major problem; at least before we used to have what they call August break, but you see how the rain has just been going on and on.

“So the best thing is just to wait, let the rains stop then we’ll continue and that’s why we’ve been talking about finishing strong, we understand that by the last quarter of the year, we will be able to do more construction,” Ogeah said.

October 13, 2014
Photo: Flood in Warri

A flooded house in the Marine Estate, Warri on Sunday

October 12, 2014
Saraki blames Fed Govt for Ilorin flood

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology Senator Bukola Saraki has blamed the Federal Government for the flood in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

Saraki said its failure to complete the channellisation of the River Asa in Ilorin led to the loss of property worth millions of naira by residents loving on the river’s path.

The contract for the channellisation of the river was awarded during the administration of the late President Umaru Yar’adua, but work did not begin until about three years ago.

This year, flood has affected residents at the southern end of the river. Saraki, who visited some of the affected areas at the weekend, said his committee would invite the minister of Environment and the Ecological Fund Unit in the Presidency to shed light on the matter when the Senate reconvenes after the holidays.

He said there was no excuse for not completing the project, urging the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to assist those displaced by the flood.

Saraki said: “If the job was done according to the programme, we could have avoided the destruction of over 300 houses. The non-completion of the contract is responsible for the displacement of the occupants of the flooded houses and some people are responsible for that. Somebody must be held accountable; somebody must ensure that the contractors’ claim of paucity of fund is rectified. More funds should be released to the contractors.

“We are lucky that no life was lost. The funds are available, so they should be made available to the contractors. This is the kind of thing that made us review the efficacy of the ecological funds. If necessary steps are not taken and flooding happens again, God forbid, lives might be lost. There is need for prompt action and the state government has written NEMA to ensure that relief materials are provided for the victims.

“The people don’t care about who is at fault between the awarding ministry and the contractors, all they want is for the job to be done. Any further damage or loss of life will amount to recklessness on the part of those responsible for the project. NEMA and the Federal Government should compensate the victims. If the job was concluded on schedule, we would not witness what is happening today.”

October 6, 2014