Houses destroyed in Kaduna flood

Thursday’s hours of heavy rainfall in Kaduna left many parts of the state flooded with many houses submerged and destroyed.

The rain which started at about 1pm Thursday continued into the night. Roads and drainages were also flooded. As a result, many residents have been rendered homeless.

Areas affected include Abubakar Kigo community, Juji in Sabon-Tasha, Kawo, Babansaura along Yakowa express, Karatudu, Gonin-gora, Barnawa, Ungwar Rimi, Rafinguza and Narayi, among others. Our reporter also observed that the Kaduna river has overflown it’s banks at different locations.

A resident of Karatudu, Augustine Sori, whose house was submerged, said: “I was inside my house with my family when the rain was falling, not knowing that my entire surrounding was already flooded. When I opened the door to peep outside, I was covered with water. I struggled to rescue my family members out of the house as the water passed window level. I have been in the area for 13 years now. We experienced flood disasters in 2012 and 2013, in fact, all the houses in the area collapsed that time.”

The Nigerian Meteorological Services (NIMET) had predicted that Kaduna State would experience flood this year, which led the state government in collaboration with Zoom Lion Global Alliance, a waste management company, to embark on emergency evacuation of refuse from areas prone to flood.

The Kaduna State Environmental Protection Authority (KEPA) had also notified communities along the River Kaduna to be vigilant over rainstorms. The State Emergency Management Agency had also warned people residing close to water ways and river banks to vacate such areas, saying flood was imminent.

The executive secretary of SEMA, Ben Kure said the agency had commenced assessment of the situation to know the extent of damage and number of people affected. He said some affected in Karatudu had been relocated to LEA Primary School and Government Secondary School, Karatudu. He added that relief materials including food, mattresses and blanket would be distributed to the affected people after the assessment.