At least 60 houses have been destroyed and about 300 persons displaced following a devastating flood that swept through Amaegbu, Umuewodo Ndiachi Umobo, Umueze in Akaeze ,Ivo Local Government Area (LGA) of Ebonyi State.
The disaster, which began on Tuesday, also destroyed farmlands, vehicles, television sets, certificates and other valuables worth millions of naira, leaving several families homeless.
One of the victims, Chief Michael Uzor, said the flood had continued to cause fresh destruction, with more houses collapsing in the affected areas.
“Many houses were demolished in this axis and more houses are collapsing as a result of the flooding. In this particular place, Ndi Ibezeukwu, over 20 houses have fallen down since Tuesday this disaster started,” he said.
Uzor said his farmlands and property were destroyed by the flood, adding that many residents, including children, had been displaced. He appealed to the government at all levels to urgently intervene and provide relief to affected families.
Another victim, Mrs Joy Chikezie, described the extent of the destruction as overwhelming, saying many residents had lost both their homes and means of livelihood.
“As you can see, many houses are down here. You can’t count the number of houses that have been destroyed by this disaster. We are homeless now and our farmlands have been destroyed too. The losses are enormous. We are sad, we are helpless, we need assistance,” she said.
The Secretary of Amaegbu community, Prince Ette, put the number of houses destroyed in the community at over 50, saying some residents were unable to salvage any belongings before their homes were overtaken by the flood.
“We are devastated, we are in pains because the damage the flood caused us is much. Some people didn’t salvage any item from the disaster,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the state, Chief Ifeanyi Odii, has donated N5 million to assist victims of the flood.
Odii made the donation during a visit to the affected community, where he was represented by the state chairman of the party, Chief Chukwuma Igwe, who said the money was intended to alleviate the immediate hardship faced by affected families.
He said over 54 families had been affected in the axis, adding that Odii would also draw the attention of relevant government agencies to the situation.
Also speaking, the PDP candidate for Ohaozara, Onicha and Ivo Federal Constituency, Chief Felix Igboke, described the flooding as unfortunate and said improved drainage and environmental management would be required to address the recurring problem.
