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Abia State News Special Report

COMMUNITY BLAMES NDDC AS FLOOD DESTROYS HOMES, CHURCHES, BUSINESSES, FARM LANDS IN UMUAHIA

Afnews Editor

Oct 24, 2019

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Following a heavy down pour which started in the early hours of Tuesday no fewer than 6 houses, several farmlands and businesses have been destroyed by flood in Amaogwugwu a community in Umuahia North LGA.

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When the News Gazette Online visited the affected community, the level of destruction witnessed is very devastating, though no lives were reportedly lost but farmlands, houses and even business were seen submerged in the flood, while children and women were trapped inside their houses, schooling activities were disrupted as students and pupils could not go to school due to the flooding as parents were afraid of losing their wards to the flood.

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A community leader whose house was destroyed by the flood, Chief B. N Orji, lamented the massive destruction recorded by the community, he took newsmen round his house showing some part of his house that the flood destroyed including bedrooms and living room which was submerged in the flood, "is true we have rivers around our community, but I have lived here all my life I have not seen such over flow of river banks and destruction as we witnessed today", he said, foodstuffs such as bags of rice and other food items, electronics and furniture were all destroyed by the flood which penetrated every part of his house.

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Taking Newsmen round the community, the president General of the community Chief Emeka Chukwuma described the flood as very heavy and severe, according to him, the community has never witnessed such a devastating flooding before. He called on the state government, NDDC, NEMA and SEMA to come to the aid of those who were displaced and whose houses and businesses were destroyed by the flood.

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An industrial oil mill operator Mr. Sam Mbakwe lamented the heavy damage the flooding has caused to his household and business, he said the flood which submerged all his machines destroyed the major ones which is electrically operated damaging the motorized components, he said his household and his factory which is sited near the river banks were all destroyed even his home appliances, furniture and food items.

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Chief Chima Amadi, a civil servant and community leader who has a house near the Ikwu River decried the level of damage the flood caused him, though no member of his family was in the house when the floods came but house hold items and parts of the house were destroyed by the flood.

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Also worship centers were not spared as a church located in the community, the Bible Life Christian Church was totally submerged by the flood and the resident pastor who lives within the church premises was lucky to escape alive with his family.

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A member of the community who spoke to us on condition of anonymity said the flood sacked them from their home early hours of the morning leaving his wife a nursing mother and their one week old baby suffering from cold, they have since been admitted in hospital while he is making arrangements on where to resettle them when they return, some members of the community blamed the flooding on the dredging of the river embarked upon by NDDC which was abandoned midway, it opened up the water ways but made it impossible for flood to find its way into Imo river.

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Recall that the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has issued an alert warning Nigerians of imminent increased flooding and accused state governments of failing to heed to its previous warnings on floods.

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credit: News Gazette Online

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