The Borno State government has established a relief fund to assist victims of recent flooding and is calling on individuals and organizations to contribute towards the recovery efforts.

A relief fund has been established by the government of Borno State to provide immediate aid for those impacted by the recent flooding in Maiduguri and neighboring areas.

On Friday, the announcement was made by Abdurrahman Ahmed Bundi, who is the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media.

According to him, the government’s objective is to garner assistance from citizens, organizations, and international allies with the intention of mitigating flood victims’ distress and aiding in their recuperation.

Significant devastation, displacement of families and injury to crucial infrastructure have been caused by the recent flood.

In light of this pressing human emergency, the government of Borno State appeals to all individuals and organizations to make contributions towards the recently established flood aid fund.

After the catastrophic flood that has swept through Maiduguri, causing one of the worst humanitarian disasters in decades, numerous victims have shared their accounts and tallied up their damages.

Excessive water inundation into households was observed in certain regions of Borno.

Most areas along the waterways and flood-prone regions had already been flooded by Monday.

On Tuesday, houses as well as markets, shops and public infrastructure were submerged without being spared.

A large number of inhabitants were fortunate to flee from the flood, but unfortunately lost most or all of their possessions. While some resorted to sleeping outdoors, others sought refuge with family members residing in more secure areas within the state.

All those impacted by the flood were instructed by the Borno State Government to seek refuge in camps and educational institutions until such time as the water subsides.

The ordeal of a few survivors who managed to reach the camp was narrated.

One of the individuals present is Babakura Mustapha, a state resident who recounted how he was informed that his locality had been affected by flooding through a phone call.

He said that they received a call informing them about the flood submerging Gudum when they were at home, and since he has relatives there, he was on his way to go check-in. However, while en route, he got notified regarding an unfortunate turn of events; their area had been flooded too!

As the floods continued to subside, search and rescue operations began on Wednesday.

Most areas had experienced receding waters by Thursday, September 12th, although certain sections of the cities were still fighting against the floods.

More than 500 shops have been affected.

Regarding economic activities, the flooding prompted some shop owners to share their firsthand accounts.

Ekene Emmanuel, the President of the Automobile Parts Dealers Association in Maiduguri, stated to Channels Television that floods had caused damage to over 500 shops.

He stated that over 500 shops were impacted, and some contained two or three individuals in them. Therefore, if one calculates the number of persons affected by more than 500 stores together, it will exceed a thousand people.

Moreover, Uchenna Okoye, an automobile spare part proprietor in Borno State shared with Channels Television about how he learned of the distressing circumstance.

“At approximately 2 am, we received information from sources who informed us that floods were beginning to encroach upon our vicinity,” he stated.

My son was almost lost.

A Maiduguri resident shared his harrowing experience, revealing that he came perilously close to losing his son as a result of the humanitarian crisis gripping their North-Eastern state.

He distinguished the flood from previous occurrences, expressing that he hadn’t encountered such a calamity prior to this.

This is a first-time experience for me. While I had witnessed the 1994 flood disaster, this current situation stands apart from it significantly.

He expressed his distress, “Losing my son was almost a reality when he ventured out during the flood and couldn’t make it back home. If not for our neighbor’s assistance in bringing him to safety, I wouldn’t have even fathomed seeing him again.”

AFP