Flood Kills One Person, Destroys 434 Houses in Bauchi

Flooding recorded in the first week of August, has claimed one life and damaged no fewer than 14 houses in Bauchi metropolis, an official has said.

Malam  Inuwa Bello, the Head of Emergency Operations, Bauchi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi on Thursday.

He said that state assessment team who visited the affected areas, confirmed  the death of a nine-year-old girl at Shekal ward in the state capital.

Bello said that plans were under way to assist the victims with food and other essential items.

According to him, the SEMA has also intensified its sensitisation campaign on appropriate measures to be taken by residents to avert disaster.

He, however, expressed regret that in spite of all enlightenment efforts, some people still blocked culverts with garbage and built structures on water ways.

Commenting on the issue in an interview with NAN, the state Commissioner for Information, Mr Mohammed Damina, said the ministry had also intensified its sensitisation campaign.

“We have adopted several awareness creation strategies to draw the attention of the people on the need to take proactive measures to avert a recurrence of the flood disasters.’’

NAN recalls that heavy rainfall in the last one week, caused flooding, submerging some houses and roads in the state capital.

Areas worst affected by the flood were Fadaman Mada, Yelwa, Gwallaga, GRA, Palace Road and Shekal, among others.

Those rendered homeless are currently squatting with friends and relations.

The Federal Ministry of Environment had issued an alert, warning that heavy rainfall could be witnessed in some states, namely Taraba, Adamawa, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kano, Zamfara, Kebbi, Bauchi, Katsina, Borno, Yobe, Gombe and Benue (NAN)