The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has said that flood has destroyed at least 700 houses and farmlands in Cheledi Community, Kirfi Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
The Director, Planning, Research and Statistics of the agency, Mr Adamu Nayola, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Bauchi.
Nayola said that the affected houses and farmlands were destroyed when the rivers in the area overflowed their banks in the wake of a heavy downpour.
He said: “More than 700 houses and farmlands were destroyed in Cheledi Community with rice, maize, sorghum, millet, sesame seeds and cowpea destroyed.’’
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He described the incident as devastating and worst to happen in the state this year.
According to Nayola, the flood rendered many residents of the community homeless.
He said that the Commissioners for Humanitarian Affairs, Housing and Environment had visited the area to assess the degree of damage.
“They assessed the level of damage caused by the flood in all the affected areas and provided necessary assistance to the victims,” the SEMA official said.
He also said that a majority of the affected villages were on the bank of the stream.
Nayola said that the agency was conducting enumeration of the affected houses and farmlands for the provision of relief materials.
He advised the public to avoid flood prone areas, blocking waterways with buildings to avert flooding.