By Amaechi Okwara
Asaba
The ravaging flood has submerged over 140 coastal communities in Delta State destroying property worth billions of Naira.
The most affected communities are from Warri South-west, Warri North, Ndokwa west, Ndokwa East, Oshimili south , Ughelli south and north, Burutu, Patani, Isoko south, Aniocha South and Bomadi Local Government Area of the state
The ravaged communities include; Ofonibeinghan, Bomadi, Patani, Agoloma, Bulu-Angiama, Ayakoromo, Torugbene, Ogbobagbene, Tamigbe, Tuomo, Tebegbe, Bulu-Ndoro, Ojobo, Ekogbene, Orugbene, Ezebiri, Ogodobiri, Okoloba, Ogbeingbene, Akugbene, Uzere.
Others are, Ogbeinama Esama, Kalafiugbene, Ogiriagbene, Edegbene, Enekorogha, Okpokonou, Oboro
Kpakiama, Egodor, Agbodorbiri, Bikorogha, Akparemogbene, Oyangbene, Bobougbene,Newtown
Ebeingbene, Eseimogbene, Egolegbene, Ekamotagbene
Also submerged are: Gbekebor Amayanrengbene,
Obotebe, Forcados, Odimodi, Youtu, Agedi Zion
Okibou Zion, Kandaighan, Kokodiagbene Oporoza, Oko, Okerenkoko, Kunukunuma,Tebijo, Ubafan, Kurutie
Benikurukuru and Asaba amongst others.
Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa had earlier ordered the State’s flood Management committee to move into impacted communities and evacuate people who are yet to relocate to camps established for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
According to the governor, “this is an emergency situation, move the buses to the communities, use speed boats where necessary and comb all the impacted communities, bring out any of our persons remaining in those communities to the IDP camps.”
“From what we have heard, the flood water is rising, you can see that apart from Oko Amakom, the other communities have been submerged; it is an unfortunate situation, thank God we embarked on early awareness campaign and our people listened,” Okowa said.
Governor Okowa disclosed that security of lives and property was topmost in his administration’s agenda as it tackles the menace of the flood.
He commended the people of the affected communitiesfor agreeing to move to the IDPs camps, observing that though, the people have lost their agricultural produce as a result of the flood, his administration would work to ameliorate their sufferings.
“With the situation of things, it is very important that we save lives, we have deployed man and resources to other impacted communities“, he said.
The state government recently received relief materials from National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to alleviate the suffering of the affected people.
