Four days of uninterrupted rain has sacked at least 40 villages in five local government areas of Adamawa State, destroying valuables estimated in millions of naira.
Some of the dislodged villages in Demsa Local Government are; Mbula, Borong, Bilachi, Morro 1, Morro 2 and Mbumara. Others are Tika 1, Tika 2, Kunteri, Kuli, Tassala, and Kulasala. In Fufore, the affected villages include Riko, Faram-Faram, Gurore Ribadu, Tumbi’nde, Dulo Bate and Dulo Fulani.
Haley Gajere, a farmer from Bilachi village in Demsa LG cut a pitiful figure as she stared blankly into space after flood ravaged her farmland; hopes of a bumper harvest now turned to empty dreams. He told Daily Sun that his village was completely submerged by the flood and his farms swept away:”Our rice and maize farmlands were completely washed away and many members of our community have become refugees and are putting up with family and friends in neighbouring villages.
“On Friday, we harvested some of the crops in one of our rice farms, about three hectares, along the bank of River Benue with the intention of conveying them back home on Saturday. But it has all been swept away. As I speak to you now, our houses have also been submerged. We cannot even trace the farm locations because everywhere is filled with water.”
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Betty Fwa, the councilor representing Borong Ward in Demsa, told Daily Sun: “For the past four days, the amount of flood that has destroyed my community is beyond us. We sincerely need urgent help now because the flood has caused much illness as some of our people have been sleeping in an open space. Our food has been swept off by the flood. This is beyond the local government’s capacity, the State and Federal Government should intervene or else there will be disease outbreak and deaths in the area soon.”
Another victim of the flood, John Sabo, a resident of Morro village in Demsa narrated his experience. He said: “We have all returned to farming but even the crops we harvested have been swept away. The rains have been pouring for about four days unabated and our children have all fallen ill. Going to school is not an option and having food to eat has become a problem. We need urgent help.”
Muhammad Sulaiman, the Executive Secretary of Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA), confirmed that 40 villages were flooded with farmlands and houses seriously affected. He said; “The flooding is as a result of the heavy rains that fell in the last three days in some parts of the state. Majority of the affected villages are located on the bank of River Benue.
“In August this year, we lost 15 people, hundreds were internally displaced and thousands of farmlands and domestic animals were lost to the flood. Now within the last three days, over 40 villages in five local government areas of Adamawa State have been overrun by flood following torrential downpour. The affected local government areas include Fufore, Yola South, Demsa, Numan and Girei.”
He urged the federal agencies and United Nation who promised assistance to the victims of the August flood to redeem their pledges. Suleiman also admitted that there is a possibility of more flooding, adding that the agency has sent some members of staff to some of the affected areas to assess the level of damage.
THE GUARDIAN
