The National Emergency Management Agency has confirmed that over 414,000 people have been displaced, with at least 30 fatalities following a severe flood in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
This disaster, which struck on Tuesday, is being described as the worst flood the city has seen in 30 years.
According to The PUNCH, NEMA spokesperson Manzo Ezekiel revealed on Wednesday that the floodwaters, caused by the overflow of the Alau Dam after intense rainfall, have forced nearly half a million residents out of their homes.
“It’s 30 people that have been recorded dead so far, around 414,000 people were displaced and are in nine IDP camps across the state,” Manzo stated.
The catastrophic flooding affected more than 23,000 households, with waters rising rapidly after the dam on the Ngadda River, located 20 kilometers south of Maiduguri, ruptured over the weekend.
Although the floodwaters had begun to recede by Wednesday, an estimated 70 percent of Maiduguri was initially submerged, devastating key areas of the city.
Among the locations heavily affected were the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Umar Ibn Garbai El-Kanemi, the state secretariat, the post office, a cemetery, and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
The flood equally caused significant damage at Sanda Kyarimi Park Zoo, washing away 80 percent of the animals and causing extensive destruction to homes, schools, businesses, and places of worship.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu, expressing grave concern over the extent of the flooding, instructed federal agencies to intensify rescue and relief efforts.
Vice President Kashim Shettima visited Maiduguri on Tuesday for an on-the-ground assessment of the damage.
Tinubu also called for the immediate evacuation of residents in communities most severely impacted by the flood.
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State described the flooding as “devastating” in an interview with journalists.
A preliminary government evaluation indicated that more than a third of Maiduguri had been affected, with an estimated one million residents suffering from the flood’s consequences.
“The floods covered one-third of the city, affecting over one million people. It is very devastating,” Zulum said while distributing food and cash to thousands of displaced persons in a temporary camp.
The Federal Government has released N3 billion to aid in the rehabilitation of the flood victims.
Zulum explained that these funds would be used to provide food, essential supplies, and to implement long-term health monitoring strategies aimed at preventing outbreaks of disease.
In the short term, the government is distributing cash assistance of N10,000 per household to those displaced by the floods.
“We are distributing money and food to the head of each of the families as a temporary measure to cushion the impact,” Zulum stated.
The Governor further emphasized that the immediate support is being provided while data on the victims is gathered to develop both short-term relief measures and long-term plans.
“Luckily for us, we just received N3bn flood intervention fund from the Federal Government. So, we are using part of this fund to provide immediate support to the communities affected by the flood,” he added.
The state government has also organized search and rescue operations to assess the casualties and gather comprehensive data on the extent of the damage.
