(English) October 9, 2012
Over 600, 000 people were displaced by the flood disaster, which ravaged nine local government areas of the Kogi State.
The state’s Commissioner for Information, Yabaji Bologi, who disclosed this to journalists yesterday in Lokoja, said according to the latest report released by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) about 344 communities were completely submerged, while property worth over N2 billion were destroyed.
He said 50,493 internally displaced persons with no alternative accommodation arrangements are being housed in 87 camps spread across the affected local government areas.
The commissioner said there has been no major out-break of epidemics, and that only eight lives were lost to the flood in the state.
The Commissioner for Environment, Abdulrahman Wuya, on his part, said that government has put machineries in motion to clean up all affected areas between now and December.
He said the cleanup is to guide against outbreak of epidemics, as according to him, the flood came with hazardous materials. He appealed to those affected by the flood not to move into their houses yet despite the fact that the water has started receding.
Meanwhile, Head of the Interim Management of Ajaokuta Local Government Area of Kogi State, Aloysius Okino, has said that four persons from the area are missing following the flood disaster. Okino, who disclosed this during a visit to the relief camp at Gadumo area of Ajaokuta Local Government, said all efforts to trace them either alive or dead have been fruitless.
He added that the missing persons are from Onakumi Island which was completely submerged by the flood. He said fishing which is the traditional trade of the people has been disrupted while rice farms and livestock worth billions of naira have been washed away.
According to him, the disaster also affected the education sector as six primary schools in the council have been shut down indefinitely. He said three of the schools were shut down to accommodate about 7,000 displaced by the flood while the remaining three were closed down for the safety of pupils and staff.
Source: All Africa
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