Three days after the flood in Maiduguri, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the military, and other organisations intensified rescue operations as many residents remained trapped or were missing.
The North East Acting Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Mr Sirajo Garba, made this known in an interview yesterday.
He said that dozens of other people trapped in their homes were rescued yesterday.
“We have deployed high suspension vehicles and boats, and the military is working on a search and rescue operation, particularly inwards like Abbaganaram, Muna, and 505 estates.
“On our side as NEMA, we rescued about 200 people between yesterday and today.
“On the day of the incident, over 1,000 people were rescued, while over 70,000 have been profiled in seven camps.”
Garba said the number of casualties “cannot be ascertained now,” adding that so far, NEMA has issued four body bags.
Some of the camps created by the Borno State government have witnessed overcrowding as more victims of Tuesday’s flood that submerged homes in Maiduguri, which were earlier cut off by the flood, are rescued and are arriving at the camps.
When our correspondent visited the Bakassi IDP camp situated along the Damboa area of Maiduguri, more farmers struggled to get into the camp because of the security at the entrance gate.
More worrisome to the victims is the separation of family members who fled different directions when the flood erupted; while some wives and their children were in a different camp, the husbands found themselves in another camp.
Some of the women who are in the camp alongside their children without their husbands said after their husbands evacuated them to a safer place upon returning, the flood took over their home and left them with no choice but to look for alternative shelter in another camp.
Amina Mohammed of Grange ward in Maiduguri, whose husband is still missing, said he evacuated them out of the flood and returned to pick up their other belongings. Still, from the Tuesday that the incident occurred, she has not set eyes on him.
She said the major challenge facing her now is coping with her seven children in the camp, adding that no food assistance has come their way since they have been in the camp.
“We are seriously in need of help from the government and non-governmental organisations (NGO) before our children will die of hunger and starvation,” Amina said.
Similarly, Fatima Usman, a mother of 8 whose husband died two years ago, said the flood has pulled down their home in Bulabulin Samiya area of Maiduguri, adding that the children have been in pain since morning due to hunger and starvation.
She appealed to the government and well-spirited individuals to help ease their immediate needs, such as food, clothing, and household items.
Also, Fatima Bukar of the new prison area, whose husband died a month ago, said she only ran out with her six children without anything from their home as the raging flood made them flee for safety.
Scarcity Of Motor Spare Parts Hits Maiduguri
In a related development, the Automobile Dealers Association, Borno State branch, has decried the imminent scarcity of motor and machine spare parts in the State due to the flood, which has destroyed goods worth billions of naira.
Speaking to journalists at the Bank of the North area of Maiduguri, which is the centre of motor spare parts business in Maiduguri, the president of the Association, Chief Ekene Udebuana, said over 500 shops with close to 1000 dependants were submerged by the flood.
He noted that the flood damaged most of their goods, submerging the shops up to the roofs, and that, today, water is still stagnant in their shops.
“The flood condemned virtually all the goods because nobody knew it was coming. Even when we reached the business premises after getting the information of the raging flood, once we tried to remove goods, the flood raged more; hence, we fled for our safety.
“We are appealing to the government to come to our aid and support us in realising our businesses back. What we can do as an Association is help our members separate damaged goods from few good ones as we lack the financial muscle to assist members financially, “ Udebuani said.
Similarly, the Vice president of the Association, Chief Uchenna Okoye, said the flood shocked and surprised them, adding that they had never thought of anything like it since there had been no rain before the incident.
He noted that the last time such an incident was witnessed was in 1994, even though it was not as destructive as the present incident. They received information that the business premises were flooded around 2 a.m.
He said that because most of them were not residents in the area, the whole shop had been submerged to the roof by the time they reached in the morning, stressing that their businesses had been grounded.
“We could not remove anything before the flood took over all the shops. For the past three days now, the flood has left many families stranded and depressed as feeding has become an arduous task, being that many people come daily to struggle and feed their families.
“Car owners in Maiduguri cannot access spare parts because the shops are still under lock and key due to the flooding. Over N5 billion worth of goods have been destroyed. We appeal to the government and other stakeholders to come to our aid.
“We are also using this opportunity to remind our amiable Governor, Babagana Zulum, of the promise of empowerment he made to us the last time he visited and commended us for staying and operating our businesses despite the Boko Haram insurgency that ravaged the state.
“We are using this opportunity to appeal to him to come to our aid. We are indeed in need of help. If nothing is done, automatically, car transportation and haulages in Maiduguri would be grounded because virtually all the goods in our shops were affected, so we need financial assistance to move on,” the Vice President of Maiduguri Automobile Spare Parts lamented.
CAN Commiserates With Victims
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN ), Borno State Council, has commiserated with flood victims in Maiduguri.
A statement from the CAN Chairman, who is also the Auxiliary Bishop of Maiduguri Catholic Diocese, Most Rev Dr John Bogna Bakeni, on behalf of the Christian community, sympathised with the government and people of the state who have lost their loved ones and properties in this calamity.
CAN also sympathised with the people of Chibok, who suffered the same devastation a week ago, adding that this is a difficult time for the state and the government.
CAN called on the federal and state governments and all relevant agencies to help those who urgently need food, Medicare, and shelter.
The statement equally called on society’s wealthy and affluent to share their homes and resources with those in need.
Bishop Bakeni prayed to God to intervene in the current situation and ask God to grant the state’s citizens the strength and courage to thrive in this trying time.