Flood Havoc: Over 32,000 Houses Destroyed, 227,494 Persons Displaced This Year – NEMA

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has revealed that floods across 27 states in Nigeria have destroyed 32,837 houses and displaced at least 227,494 people.

This was disclosed in a statement by the agency on Thursday, as it announced the commencement of an assessment of the flood’s impact across the country.

“So far, based on statistics from the NEMA Emergency Operations Centre established for flood monitoring and resource coordination, 27 states have been affected, with a total of 227,494 people displaced and 32,837 houses damaged,” the statement said.

It added that floods also destroyed 16,488 hectares of farmland, including the crops growing on them.

In early July, heavy rainfall in Nigeria’s megacity, Lagos, disrupted transportation and flooded major roads and residential areas.

Neusroom reported that areas including Surulere, Ikeja, Oshodi, and Palmgrove on the mainland, as well as Ikoyi, Lekki, and Ajah on Lagos Island were affected by the flood.

To mitigate the impact of floods this year, NEMA Director-General, Zubaida Umar, said the agency will collaborate with the public to raise awareness.

“NEMA will continue public sensitization and grassroots awareness through advocacy and workshops on solid waste management to increase public consciousness about clearing blocked drains and waterways,” Umar said.

In recent years, as the world continues to highlight the devastating effects of climate change, Nigeria has experienced increasing flooding crises, with one of the most severe occurrences recorded in 2022.

That flooding disaster resulted in the partial or complete destruction of over 300,000 homes, while 1.4 million people were internally displaced. Additionally, the flood claimed over 600 lives and destroyed more than 390,000 hectares of farmland, an area three times the size of Lagos State, leaving farmers destitute.

Read: Nkeiruka Okoroafor – Famished, Flooded, Fed Up. The Story of an Expectant Mother Who Lost Her Livelihood in Imo Flooding