Residents rendered homeless by raging flood, which submerged over 20 riverine communities in Bomadi, Burutu and Ughelli South Local Government Areas in Delta State, freshly, were reportedly passing the night in their canoes under bad weather conditions.

This happened as community leaders in Ndokwa East local government area of the state, raised the alarm that pupils whose schools were affected by the 2012 flood were still sitting on the floor to study in their schools due to lack of seats, even as they face another surge.

However, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, on Saturday, sent the Chairman of Warri North Local Government Area, Delta State, Mr. Aduge Okorodudu, to provide relief materials to victims of Tsekelewu, an Ijaw community in the area overrun by flood about a fortnight ago.

Mostly affected in the Bomadi, Burutu and Ughelli North flood storm were Ayakoromo, Eseimogbene, Egolegbene, Akparemogbene, Oyangbene, Ekametagbene, Gbekebor, Obotebe, Okrika, Akugbene, Enekorogha, Ekogbene, Kalufuogbene, Eberegbene, Edegbene, Okoloba, Furukama, Okuboama and Ogodobiri communities, along the Forcados River, Ramos Creek and their estuaries.

National President of Foundation for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Crusaders, FOHURAC, a rights group that deployed a team to some of the affected communities, Alaowei Cleric Esq. in a statement, said: “It sounds so miserable that in some of these communities, people slept in their canoes because their houses have been overtaken by flood.”

His words: “People cannot go about their lawful businesses because of the flood. The situation has occasioned a humanitarian crisis as starvation and epidemic is looming in the affected communities.”

Meanwhile, indigenes of flood-ravaged communities in Ndokwa East local government area of the state have expressed frustration at the devastating effects of the natural disaster on their socio-economic lives, lamenting that their predicaments could be worse than what they experienced in 2012.

Aside Ashaka, Ossissa, Obikwele, Iselegu, Umuachi-Ogo and a few others, flood submerged virtually all the communities in the council area.

Worse hit were Abala-Oshimili, Abala-Obodo, Utchi, Lagos-Iyede, Iyede-Ame, Onyah, Umuoru, Adiai-Obiakor, Onogbokor, Anyama, Akarai, Inyi, Onuabo and Aboh, where indigenes have been completely displaced from their homes as water continues to flow unabatedly from the River Niger into the agrarian communities.

Leaders of the communities, who held an emergency meeting at Ashaka, recounted their ordeals in the 2012 flood, just as they appealed to state, federal governments, corporate bodies and public-spirited individuals to come to the aid of the people who flood destroyed their farmlands, agricultural produce and other sources of livelihood.

Contacted, Chairman of Ndokwa East local government, Mr. Juan Governor, lamented that flood had cut off the communities; saying efforts were on to relocate indigenes of the communities to Internally Displaced Persons, IDP camps, adding: “We are doing all that is necessary to provide a safe haven for them.”
Presenting relief materials on behalf of the state government to Tsekelewu community leaders, Warri North boss, Okorodudu, said: “Visiting Tsekelewu today with these relief materials is a show of love that we have a governor who shares in the pains of Deltans.”

Okorodudu, represented by the Secretary to the Local Government, Victor German, asserted, “The governor is a man with the heart of gold and we should continue to support his SMART agenda.”

He also appealed for federal and state governments’ assistance in the incessant cases of floods at Jakpa, Kolokolo/Tisun and other submerged communities in the local government.

•Excerpted from a Vanguard report

•Speed boats conveying relief materials from Delta state govt to flood victims in Tsekelewu community, Warri North local govt, Saturday.

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