Flood kills 4, submerges farmlands in Imo

 

 

At least four persons were feared dead, while many sustained varying degrees of injuries, following the flooding that swept through some communities in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State.

Similarly, several hectares of farmland were completely submerged, even as tons of farm products harvested by farmers, were equally lost to the flood.

Vanguard investigations revealed that already, scores of families, mainly farmers, have relocated to safer grounds, while some others remained trapped in the flooded communities at the time of going to press.

One of the villagers told Vanguard yesterday: “The use of canoe is now the only means of getting to their homes.”

“Many people, who could safely climb trees, did so, when they noticed that the flood had not only swept across the exit routes, but also growing dangerously with time.”

While saying that many were still trapped in the flood areas, the villager also bemoaned the huge losses recorded by the people since the deluge started.

Confirming the ugly situation during an interview, an official of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Mr. Quintus Oramalu, said at the last count, over 60 houses had been submerged by flood.

He appealed to other citizens living in the affected communities to relocate immediately to safer grounds to avoid any avoidable disaster.

Vanguard recalls that no fewer than 23 communities in Oguta local government area suffered grave consequences during the 2012 flooding.

It would also be recalled that prior to the current flooding and reported loss of lives, the Imo office of the National Orientation Agency, NOA, carried out series of sensitization exercises in the flood-prone areas of Oguta and Egbema local council areas of the state.