The death toll from the decade’s worst floods in Nigeria has risen to over 600, according to the tweet shared by the country’s humanitarian affairs department on Sunday.
The floods affecting people across 33 of Nigeria’s 36 states have displaced over 1.4 million. The Nigerian government and humanitarian organizations are struggling to provide support to people affected by unprecedented floods, as hundreds of people are still being rescued from their submerged homes.
According to Nigerian Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Sadiya Umar Farouq, the following damages have been caused by the flooding:
- About 82,000 homes have been completely destroyed
- 108,000 hectares of farmland have been damaged
- 332,000 hectares of roads and infrastructure have been ruined
“I sympathize and condole the State Govts and people affected by the unprecedented flooding in our dear country. At times like this, we rally around to support one another,” said Sadiya Umar Farouq in a tweet.
She also warned of more flooding.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari directed “all concerned to work for the restoration of normalcy”, according to a statement released by his office.
Earlier this month, Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had warned that the states located along the courses of the Niger and Benue rivers could experience disastrous flooding, underlining that three of the country’s overfilled reservoirs were expected to run off.
The African country experiences yearly flooding, especially in its coastline areas, but this year’s floods are the worst in more than ten years.
The agency shared that the release of excess water from the Lagdo dam in neighboring Cameroon and the unusual rainfalls had contributed to the floods.
The country will soon execute its National Flood Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan, with the primary objective to improve coordination of the flood response efforts. The ministry of humanitarian affairs has also asked a delegation to visit state governors throughout the country and propose suggestions to strengthen states’ flood response mechanisms.