No fewer than 1,000 persons were rendered homeless and farmlands submerged in four communities in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra state.
The local government comprising of16 communities, is located on the bank of the River Niger, which made it prone to flooding. The area is worst hit by flood in the last few months of rain set in.
Chairman of the council, Mr Arinze Awogu, confirmed the incident while lamenting the effect of the destruction in the area.
Awogu also said that the flood submerged many farmlands in the area.
He said that the displaced families had relocated upland, due to the steady rise in the water level.
He said that the victims had yet to go into the Displaced Persons Holding Camp but taking refuge in the homes of their relatives.
He said that the crops had either been washed away or got rotten in the affected farmlands.
The council boss advised the victims to urgently move into the camps rather than wait until the disaster would get worse.
“Ogbaru is gradually but steadily going under water, our farms have been submerged, especially the root crops.
“At least 1,000 persons were displaced from their homes and some victims decided to join their relatives upland, refusing to go to the holding camps.”
“We are afraid that by next week, the situation would get worse. You know we are riverine and our occupation is agriculture,” he said.
Awogu noted that streams in the area, which emptied into River Niger had started flowing backwards and had turned white in colour and describes the situation as “a clear indication that the river level had risen and flowing into the communities”.
He noted that Atani, Akili-Ozizor, Odekpe, Ohita commutites have all been submerged by flood.
Awogu said that Community Secondary School, Odekpe, local government secretariat, Atani and St. James Anglican Church, Iyiowa, had been designated as holding camps.
He called for help by the state and federal governments to alleviate the suffering of the people in the area.
