Local authorities reported that as rescue teams continue to search for the missing and recover bodies from parts of central Nigeria, where more than 150 people have been killed and thousands have been displaced as a result of the floods’ devastating effects.
Following torrential rain that started late on Wednesday and continued into Thursday, flooding swept the rural town of Mokwa in the Niger State.
More bodies were recovered close to 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Mokwa, according to Ibrahim Audu Husseini, a spokesman for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), whose death toll has increased to 151.
He claimed that 265 homes were “completely destroyed” in the floods, with at least 3, 018 people displaced, while 265 others were reportedly swept down the Niger River, raising concerns that the death toll may still rise.
With the assistance of Nigeria’s security forces, President Bola Tinubu declared his condolences over the weekend and that search-and-rescue operations were ongoing.
He stated in a social media post that “relief supplies and temporary shelter assistance are being immediately deployed.”
The families were lost, too. The property has vanished, according to Mohammed Tanko, a local, to Al Jazeera. “We don’t have anywhere else to go.” “This house lost at least 15 people.”
Another survivor remarked, “I escaped with only my nightdress.” I can’t even remember the location of our house right now.
Fear of more rain
Meteorologists warn of additional rain coming in the near future, putting fears that the area will become even more flooded.
Despite Nigeria’s six-month rainy season, experts claim that climate change, unrestricted construction, and poor drainage infrastructure are all contributing factors to the increase in the severity and frequency of these disasters.
Between April and October, flood risk analyst at the University of Nigeria, Ugonna Nkwunonwo, told Al Jazeera, “Flooding has become an annual event.”
He remarked that while flood risks have been identified for a while, “there hasn’t been much political power to implement this change.”
He claimed that climate change is a factor in the frequency and intensity of rain, which is a cause of this flooding. People aren’t prepared for that kind of rainfall, according to the saying “the amount of rain you can expect in a year could probably come in one or two months.”
Similar tragedies that occurred in Nigeria last year left over 1,200 people dead and up to 2 million people displaced.
The National Emergency Management Agency stated in a statement that “this tragic incident serves as a timely reminder of the dangers associated with building on waterways and the crucial importance of keeping drainage channels and river paths clear.”
Source: Aljazeera
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