Nigeria flood fatalities reach 600 as thousands flee

• The death toll from floods in Nigeria this year has risen to 603.
• More than 1.3 million people have been displaced.
• At least 3,400 sq km (1,300 sq miles) of land has been flooded.

As local government officials scramble to provide assistance to hundreds of thousands of people being evacuated from their waterlogged homes, the death toll from floods in Nigeria this year has risen to 603.

The crisis, which has affected residents in 33 of Nigeria’s 36 states, has caused more than 1.3 million people to be displaced, the humanitarian affairs ministry reported late on Sunday.

Worries about disruptions in the food supply have grown as at least 3,400 sq km (1,300 sq miles) of land have been flooded. Production in Nigeria’s northwest and central areas, which provide much of the nation’s food, has already been put in jeopardy by conflict.

According to a statement released by his office, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered, “everyone concerned to work for the restoration of normalcy.”

Annual flooding occurs throughout Nigeria, especially in the coastal regions, but this year’s floods are the worst in more than ten years. Authorities attribute the catastrophe to exceptional rainfall and the release of extra water from the nearby Lagdo Dam in Cameroon.

People are escaping to the city in the hopes of receiving assistance from the authorities, according to Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, who is reporting from Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa state in southern Nigeria.

The bad news is that it has been pouring for the previous few days and that it is anticipated to continue pouring for the foreseeable future, according to Idris.

He declared that “the water levels are rising to an alarming level.” “The force of the water’s flow has also increased. The flood waters from upstream are still flowing in this direction.

According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, the flooding has made a humanitarian catastrophe worse in Nigeria, where violence has driven more than three million people from their homes, particularly in the turbulent northern region.

The minister of humanitarian affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouq, issued a warning that five states continue to be at risk of flooding through the end of November.

Farouq stated, “We are urging the respective state governments, local government councils, and communities to prepare for additional flooding by relocating residents of flood plains to high grounds.

According to the humanitarian affairs minister, Buhari authorized 12,000 metric tonnes of grain for the flood victims last week.

All Federal agencies dealing with rescue and disaster management have been directed to scale up response and intervention efforts to support the victims of flooding across the country, as well as all the affected State Governments – 33 States so far affected, and the FCT.

— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) October 16, 2022

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