NIGERIA FLOOD DEATH TOLL REACHES 600 AS THOUSANDS EVACUATED

Tue 18 October 2022:

As local government officials scramble to provide assistance to hundreds of thousands of people being evacuated from their submerged homes, the death toll from floods in Nigeria this year has risen to 603.

The disaster, which has affected residents in 33 of Nigeria’s 36 states, has caused more than 1.3 million people to be displaced, the humanitarian affairs ministry reported late on Sunday.

Concerns regarding disruptions in the food supply have grown as at least 3,400 sq km (1,300 sq miles) of land have been flooded. Production in Nigeria’s northwest and central regions, which provide much of the nation’s food, has already been put in jeopardy by conflict.

According to a statement released by his office, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered “all concerned to work for the restoration of normalcy.”

All Federal agencies dealing with rescue and disaster management have been directed to scale up response and intervention efforts to support the victims of flooding across the country, as well as all the affected State Governments – 33 States so far affected, and the FCT.

— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) October 16, 2022

Nigeria experiences annual flooding, especially in its coastal areas, but this year’s floods are the worst in more than a decade. Authorities blame the disaster on the release of excess water from Lagdo Dam in neighbouring Cameroon and on unusual rainfalls.

The flooding has worsened a humanitarian crisis in Nigeria, where violence, especially in the troubled northern region, has displaced more than three million people, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.

Sadiya Umar Farouq, the minister of humanitarian affairs, warned that five states are still at risk of experiencing floods until the end of November.

“We are calling on the respective state governments, local government councils and communities to prepare for more flooding by evacuating people living on flood plains to high grounds,” Farouq said.

According to the humanitarian affairs minister, Buhari allocated 12,000 metric tonnes of grain for the flood victims last week.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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