Saturday, 6 October 2012

Benue Flood: Home of Displaced Victims Taken Over By Dangerous Animals!

The pathetic story of flood victims in Benue State is far from being over as the invasion of dangerous reptiles into their submerged homes has added a new dimension to their agony.
The victims who only started to jubilate a few days ago when water astarted   receding are now wondering if at all they could ever return to their houses.
Although, some houses had collapsed into the flood, others that were not seriously affected are likely not fit for immediate inhabitation by its former occupants who fled their abodes for their lives.
Weekly Trust gathered that dangerous animals have taken refuge in the deserted homes occasioned by the devastating flood.
The Nigerian Red Cross Society (NCRS) said on its website that “A lot of people have been displaced. Snakes, crocodiles and hippos have been displaced and are ending up in people’s homes. Everyone has been displaced,” it said.
Helen Ogar who is being sheltered at the government designated displaced peoples camp in Wadata area of Makurdi  alongside her four children said she was scared out of her apartment in the Wadata suburb by snakes that have infested the house.
“I went to my house a few days ago to tidy up the environment but I couldn’t enter because I saw snakes everywhere through the windows.
“Some of the snakes were even hanging on the ceilings. The room itself emits a very strong smell which could have been caused by the dirty flood water. I had to run for my dear life as I paddled the canoe that I came with as  fast as my strength could carry me,” Ogar said.
Another displaced victim, James Ameh, 20, son of a police man who along with his siblings and mother found  a space at the Wurukum camp, noted that he had in the company of  neighbours affected by flood returned home to clear their houses after observing that the water has receded drastically but was shocked to be confronted by big snakes.
“I had followed some colleagues here to see whether we can tidy up the place when we discovered that the water has started going down, on entering the house what we saw was amazing, it was a big snake in one of the rooms,” he narrated.
Since then Ameh has remained at the camp with his other siblings until last Monday, when he and other neigbours attempted the sanitation adventure to reclaim their homes, but were forced to retreat by the daring poisonous creatures.
“Snakes hung on the ceiling, so we ran back, that was two days ago. When I told my father, he said, we should remain here (camp) until government asks us to go.”
The story is the same in all the affected parts of  Makurdi town, Agatu, Guma,  Logo and Gwer West local government areas respectively.
In Agatu local government area where many of the communities are said to have been submerged, there is little hope for the victims to reclaim any of their residential houses.
The caretaker chairman of the local council, Victor Momoh  had told journalists the whereabouts of some families who lost their lives while trying to flee flood disaster area was still unknown. While the bodies from a capsized boat in the area were yet to be recovered as the water is yet to recede significantly.
Weekly Trust learnt from other residents in Makurdi that the fear of reptiles is now major sources of worry unless the government rises to the challenge to salvage the situation, “this might just be another death trap,”  a resident Terhumba Hir opined.
“We were so happy two days ago when we discovered that the water is going down, but when we entered our houses, crocodiles and snakes are there. I even heard some people saying they have seen hippopotamus in their own apartments,” he said.
However, the Director-General of  National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii had early the week warned residents not to return to their houses without relevant authorities certifying their safety.
Orhii who gave the warning when he donated food items, drugs worth N5 million to victims of flood disaster in Makurdi, urged them to accept their fate as the will of God.
According to him, NAFDAC had visited the camp to access the quality of  water, food and drugs made available to the people by government, individuals and donor agencies.
He added that appropriate arrangements are underway to rehabilitate the victims.
Also, the Executive Secretary of  State Emergency Management Agency, Adikpo Agbtase, urged the victims to remain where they are until government permits them to do otherwise.
“We can’t identify how many of such houses were affected until the water recedes. We are already planning for a team to go out on assessment when the water finally recedes. By that time, residents would stand by their houses to provide needed information to the team which will enable us to quantify the loses.
“We have pleaded with the victims to move away, because the flood had come in with dangerous reptiles that could cause them harm. For the sake of airborne diseases, it is better to quit such contaminated environment. After the flood, we will fumigate the places. We are already planning ahead to disinfect the affected areas,” Agbtase concluded.

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