The Benue State Government has established camps and begun distribution of relief materials to flood victims in Makurdi, the state capital.
Ms Josephine Haba, member of the State Technical Committee on Flood, while distributing the relief materials at NKST Primary School, Wadata, yesterday (Monday, October 14), said all verified victims would be attended to, explaining that the camps were established on Saturday following the flooding of some communities within the town.
Haba said that so far three camps have been established to include NKST Primary School, Wadata, Gaadi Comprehensive Secondary School, and Makurdi International Market, adding that though the registration of victims is still going on, the IDPs needed to eat and something to sleep on, hence the commencement of the distribution.
Haba, who is also the Director General of the Benue Peace Commission, said that the victims were being registered using the Kobo wallet, assuring that the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) was also on ground to verify the registration.
According to her, so far they are distributing rice, beds, and mosquito nets with wash kits and other essentials to follow immediately.
Haba disclosed that IOM was already renovating the toilets and would build more as well as provide water for the camps.
Earlier, the camp manager, Mr James Iorhuna, said that they had registered over 150 households since the establishment of the camp on Saturday.
Iorhuna said that they would identify the needs of the victims and submit the same to the relevant authorities for effective action.
Mrs Ashi Aganyi, a flood victim who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said all her belongings were submerged and she had nowhere to take them other than the camp.
She said that the flood has become a yearly routine in the Inyongu community and urged the government to find a solution to the problem.
Some of the flood affected areas include Gyado Villa, Wadata, Wurukum, Achussa, and parts of the North Bank, all in Makurdi metropolis.
A NAN correspondent who went round the town reports that some residents were seen evacuating their personal belongings that were submerged.
One of the affected residents, Terhemba Pine, said he refused to relocate with his household to the designated points closer to their area because he thought that the flood would not come.
Pine, who is a landlord in the Achussa area of the state, explained that he had lost several valuables, including foodstuffs and his office documents.
“In this area, over 100 inhabitants are affected. The rain started at exactly 1:00 am and lasted till 12 pm on Monday.
“My children could not be able to go to school because they could not cross the main road leading to their schools,” he said.
When contacted, the Executive Secretary, State Executive Management Agency, Mr James Iorpuu, said that the agency was fully prepared to respond to the needs of those who might have been affected by flooding.
