Communities worst hit include Atani, Odekpe, Osumala, Umuzu, Umunankwo, Ogwuekpele, Akili, Akiliogidi, Otuche, Ogbaku, Mputu among others.

– As 600 Schools shutdown, 500 households in IDP camps

Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha

Flood wreaked havoc on Ogbaru local government area of Anambra state as 13 communities were submerged by the rising of the River Niger, which has overflowed its banks.

READ ALSO: Flood submerges Anambra council secretariat

State governor Willie Obiano has responded by directing the closure of about 600 primary and secondary schools.

The flood submerged schools, churches, a naval outpost, police station, hundreds of residential houses, including the family home of the Senator representing Anambra North, Sen. Stella Oduah, the part of the traditional ruler of Atani palace Igwe Augustine Ngoddy, the Chairman of the local government area Chief Arinzechukwu Awogu, Special Assistant to the governor on Community Liaison Mr. Ossai Odogwu, among others.

When our correspondent visited the area, some displaced families were seen removing their household items and other valuables, while others used canoe to asses their homes, as water had overran their houses.

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Communities worst hit include Atani, Odekpe, Osumala, Umuzu, Umunankwo, Ogwuekpele, Akili, Akiliogidi, Otuche, Ogbaku, Mputu among others.

Children and women at IDP camps at Ogbaru LGA
Farm produce removed from the water
Man being removed his household items
Woman packing out her house after her home was submerged by water
Residents going into their home with canoes
A home totally submerged by water in Ogbaru

The chairman of the local government area Chief Awogu, who has himself been displaced, said that three Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps were created for those displaced by the flood, where about 500 families would stay until the water subsides.

READ ALSO: NMA donates drugs to over 600 IDPs in Zungeru

He said that although no loss of life has been recorded, farmlands, agricultural produce, household property, many houses worth hundreds of thousands were destroyed, with displaced families taking refuge at the council secretariat, and St. James Anglican Church, Iyiowa.

Awogu, who distributed some of relief materials brought by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to the displaced persons at the council secretariat, said that NEMA should also come to their aid as the number of the IDPs keep increasing by the day, the committee on flood disaster in the area having gone into villages to evacuate people trapped by the flood.

He observed that the level of the river keeps rising every day, with water levels now was put at 11.80 against 12.84 recorded in 2012, calling on the families living at the bank of the river to vacate and relocate to IDP camps closer to them to avoid loss of life. He said that 13 out of 16 communities in the local government area were affected, while he said that the remaining three communities may be affected based on the way the waters keep rising.

The traditional ruler of Atani Igwe Ngoddy described the flood as another disaster like 2012, saying that some displaced families have been taking refuge at his home. He called on the government to provide relief materials to the victims.

Some displaced persons including Mrs. Grace Ajie, Ebere Nwachukwu, Osita Obinyelibe, Charles Akubueze and Oprethe Oghale appealed to government agencies, good spirited individuals, corporate organizations to come to their aid and provide them with food and other household materials at the camps, while commending the state government for the ones already provided.

READ ALSO: Schools shut in Ogbaru as distribution of relief materials commence