Flood sacks 12 communities, destroys 3,000 farmlands in C/River
Twelve communities in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River have been flooded following two days of heavy rain, while more than 3,000 farmlands were equally destroyed.
The incident, which occurred between the late hours of Sept. 18 and the early hours of Sept. 19, rendered hundreds of residents homeless as properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.
Mr John Inaku, the Director General, Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), told NAN yesterday that more than 1,000 people had been displaced and are taking refuge in nearby communities.
NAN reports that some of the communities affected are Bago, Unu, Bagabo, Bakie, Bufua, and Kakwe-Beebo.
“The deluge of Sept. 18 and 19 has caused massive flooding in 12 communities in Cross River. Properties worth millions of naira were destroyed. The flood also destroyed farmlands; crops such as banana, cassava, plantain, yam, cocoa and others were also affected while some bridges were washed away. The worst aspect of the flood is that it also destroyed streams which served as the only source of drinking water for the people, while the main access road was washed away as a result of landslide,’’ he said.
One of the victims, Mr Bette Obi, Chairman of Cross River Forestry Commission, told NAN that the flood had wreaked serious havoc on residents of the area.
Obi, who said his cocoa and plantain farms were destroyed, said,
“We urgently need government’s assistance in our communities to ameliorate our plights.’’
Another victim, Mr Gabriel Ofre, traditional ruler of Bago community, said that the flood had displaced his entire household, and that his property and other vital materials were destroyed as well. (NAN)