The Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has confirmed at least fifty persons dead and hundreds of residents are displaced after flood-ravaged parts of the State.
Addressing reporters in Dutse, the state capital, the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Sani Yusuf said the flood destroyed thousands of homes in the state on Saturday.
He explained that the situation forced Jigawa residents to take refuge in other places, including government buildings, and the state government accommodated many displaced persons in 11 temporary camps.
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“We have so many displaced persons in about 11 temporary camps. In Balangu alone, 237 houses have been damaged and they (occupants) are now living in temporary camps. Four people also died in that same village, after the six in Kafin Hausa. So, when you go around the state, we lost about 50 people to the flood. Even yesterday, seven people from the same family died,” he said.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Farouq had since visited the North West state to provide relief materials to the victims, alongside the Director-General of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Habib as part of the Federal Government’s intervention efforts.
During the visit, the minister said that her mission to the state was based on President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to provide the necessary support to the flood victims, adding that the incident is particularly sad because it has become perennial, causing severe damage to schools, houses and the livelihoods of people.
“Upon receiving this unfortunate news, President Buhari directed the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management to activate NEMA to provide the necessary support to the affected persons,” she said.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
