600 dead, more than 1.3 million displaced due to floods in Nigeria

Africa, News October 18, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Floods in Nigeria have claimed more than 600 lives while more than 1.3 million people are left without homes and shelters as the African country faces one of the worst natural disasters in a decade.

According to Nigerian Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Sadiya Umar Farouq, at least 603 people have died, 2407 people have been injured and 1.3 million people have been displaced due to the floods.

She reported that at least 82,000 homes have been destroyed, 108,000 hectares of farmland have been damaged and more than 332,000 hectares of roads and infrastructure faced severe damage. The destruction of the farmland is expected to cause a major food shortage in Nigeria in the coming few weeks.

“I sympathize and condole the State Govts and people affected by the unprecedented flooding in our dear country. At times like this, we rally around to support one another,” Farouq tweeted. “I must commend local Communities; who usually act as first responders for providing support to relatives, neighbors, and friends,” she added.

The Nigerian Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management urged the local administration and communities in the southern states to help the people evacuate from the affected areas and to block the water flow. She added that several states did not adequately prepare for the floods, despite being warned about the calamity.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari released an official statement regarding the situation and directed “all concerned to work for the restoration of normalcy.” President Buhari also approved 12,000 metric tons of grains for the flood victims.

Nigerian National Emergency Management Agency had warned the government about the catastrophic flooding earlier this month, especially in the states located along the Niger and Benue rivers. Nigeria’s overfilled reservoirs started to overflow a week ago submerging 27 out of 36 Nigerian states.

^{A view of stranded people due to floods following several days of downpours in Kogi Nigeria, on October 6, 2022. Authorities have blamed the disaster on unusually heavy rainfall and the release of excess water from the Lagdo dam in neighboring Cameroon. (Image Credit: AP)}

It is very uncommon for Nigeria to face such severe floods. The government has said unusually heavy rains and climate change are to blame. High precipitation this year led to the overflow of the reservoirs resulting in severe flooding in many rural and some urban areas. The emergency release of excess water from dams in Nigeria and neighboring Cameroon was another key factor causing devastating flooding.

Nigeria is not the only nation that has faced severe flooding and natural disasters this year. Many other countries like Pakistan, Chad, U.S., and Australia went through an unprecedented number of floods. On the other hand, many countries in Europe faced droughts, heat waves, and shortages of rain. Many experts believe that such anomalies in weather patterns are caused by climate change.