Flood destroys 300 houses in Yobe

File photo: A flooded area in Nigeria

Alhaji Musa Jidawa, Executive Secretary, Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), on Wednesday, said that over 300 houses, farmlands and livestock had been destroyed by flood in Jakusko and Adaya communities.

He made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu.

Jidawa said, “We received report of over 250 houses destroyed in Jakusko and about 54 others in Adaya but no life was lost, the affected people are taking shelter with relations in the communities.”

The executive secretary added that the state government had provided food, clothes and building materials to the victims to assist them resettle.

Jidawa said that the agency had embarked on enlightenment campaign, urging communities on waterways to vacate the water routes to avoid disaster.

“There are early warning signals indicating flood in some states, including Yobe, we have therefore addressed flood-prone communities to evacuate the water path.

“There are communities that have suffered flooding in many years; we are still calling on these communities to leave the waterways.”

According to the executive secretary, Ngelzarma, Jajere, Nangere, Buduwa, Nguru, Gashua, Damagum, Dapchi and some communities in Tarmuwa experience flooding almost every year.

He urged residents of towns and villages to evacuate drainage and avoid constructing buildings or dumping refuse in such a way that it would block the waterways.

“There will be fewer floods if we make room for free flow of water in our communities.”

NAN reports that two unidentified corpses of young boys were recently recovered by fishermen from river Nguru.