At least two persons have drowned as flood sacked over 30 communities of Ahoada-West local government area of Rivers State.
Some of the communities already submerged include Okarki, Okparaki, Ikeodi, Kumusha Ugovia, Udoda, Ogbogolo clan, Oruoma, Mbiama and Akinima as well as the Joinkrama 1, 2,3 and 4 communities.
Chairman of Ahoada-West local government area, Hon. Hope Ikiriko, who disclosed this yesterday while speaking when he visited some of the affected communities with relief materials, said that two people have drowned in the flood in the area.
Ikiriko called on the federal government to declare an emergency on the flood situation in Ahoada-West, adding that the area has lost count of the number of displaced persons in the incident.
He said: “We are in the midst of the flood. In this LGA we have over 40 buildings that are already submerged. Communities now affected are above 30.
“The report I got is that two people have drowned in the flood. The report has it that the people went to harvest their premature cassava before the flood caught up with them and they could not be rescued.
“The case we have at hand now the local government cannot handle it. No LGA can handle this level of disaster. The federal government has not done anything in respect of this. It is not good enough to only go on air and announce that flood will come.”
The council chairman called on the federal government through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to intervene in the disaster and provide succour to the affected people.
The Paramount Ruler of Okparaki community, one of the communities sacked in the flood, Chief Paul George, also lamented the outbreak of skin diseases.
George said: “We are happy over this gift from the chairman of our local government. We are already in hunger and this will go a long way to help us.
“The whole community has been covered with water. Everybody has packed out and our schools cannot hold again. Over 20 families live in one upstairs while many have left the community.
“Yes many people are now having boil and other skin diseases. The water is really affecting us.” w
